TWENTY-NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 22, 2024
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: Starting, October 19th (Day 4). Novena to Saint Jude is prayed for Desperate Situations and Desperate Cases—especially for an end to war and terrorism. Prayed anytime of year, especially October 19–27th in preparation for the Feast of Saint Jude on October 28th | Novena prayer and link below
Greetings, and blessings beloved family. Happy Tuesday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time and Happy Feast of Saint John Paul II!
On this special Feast day, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint John Paul II and the other Saints we celebrate today, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We continue to pray for the safety and well-being of our children and for peace in our family and the whole world.
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 who recently passed away and the souls in Purgatory. 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🙏
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 22, 2024 |
https://www.youtube.com/live/rA6KbYhbkrU?si=ewJWzykGQ847hcER
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 22, 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 22, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 22, 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: Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Reading 1, Ephesians 2:12-22
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14
Gospel, Luke 12:35-38
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: Novena to Saint Jude is prayed for Desperate Situations and Desperate Cases—especially for an end to war and terrorism. Prayed anytime of year, but especially October 19–27th in preparation for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude on October 28th. Pray the following each day for nine days in a row. This is the traditional Novena to Saint Jude and can be prayed any time of year | https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-to-st-jude–desperate-situations-and-hopeless-cases-305
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: Desperate Situations and Hopeless Cases ~ DAY 4
Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly – (make your request here) – and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.
Amen 🙏
PRAYER: May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen 🙏
May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen 🙏
St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen 🙏
Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity. (say this prayer, followed by the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be)
Dear Apostle and Martyr for Christ, you left us an Epistle in the New Testament. With good reason many invoke you when illness is at a desperate stage. We now recommend to your kindness (name of patient) who is in a critical condition. May the cure of this patient increase his/her faith and love for the Lord of Life, for the glory of our merciful God. Amen 🙏
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN PAUL II, POPE; SAINT MARY SALOME AND SAINT MELLO OF CARDIFF, BISHOP – FEAST DAY: OCTOBER 22, 2024: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint John Paul II, Pope; Saint Mary Salome and Saint Mello of Cardiff, Bishop. 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 peace, love, justice 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 sick with the coronavirus, mental illness 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. 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 JOHN PAUL II, POPE: Pope St. John Paul II (1920 – 2005) is considered one of the most well-known pontiffs in recent history, and is most remembered for his charismatic nature, his love of youth and his world travels, along with his role in the fall of communism in Europe during his 27-year papacy. Pope St. John Paul II was born Karol Józef Wojtyla on May 18, 1920, in the Polish town of Wadowice, a small city 50 kilometers from Krakow. He was the youngest of three children born to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska. Pope John Paul II had lost his mother, father and older brother before his 21st birthday. His mother died in 1929. His eldest brother Edmund, a doctor, died in 1932 and his father, a non-commissioned army officer died in 1941. A sister, Olga, had died before he was born. He was baptized on June 20, 1920 in the parish church of Wadowice by Fr. Franciszek Zak, made his First Holy Communion at age 9 and received his Sacrament of Confirmation at 18. He was a vibrant, athletic, and intelligent child. His deeply religious father played an important role in his spiritual formation after his mother’s death when he was 8 years old. Upon graduation from Marcin Wadowita high school in Wadowice, St. John Paul II enrolled in Krakow’s Jagiellonian University in 1938 and was in a school for drama. His promising academic career at Krakow’s Jagiellonian University was cut short by the outbreak of World War II. He studied literature, poetry, and theater before his studies were interrupted by the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939. The Nazi occupation forces closed the university in 1939 and young Karol had to work in a quarry (1940-1944) and then in the Solvay chemical factory to earn his living and to avoid being deported to Germany. While working in a quarry and a chemical factory, he enrolled in an “underground” seminary in Kraków. In 1942, aware of his call to the priesthood, he began courses in the clandestine seminary of Krakow, run by Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, archbishop of Krakow. At the same time, Karol Wojtyla was one of the pioneers of the “Rhapsodic Theatre,” also clandestine. After the Second World War, he continued his studies in the major seminary of Krakow, once it had re-opened, and in the faculty of theology of the Jagiellonian University. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Sapieha in Krakow on November 1, 1946. Shortly afterwards, Cardinal Sapieha sent him to Rome where he worked under the guidance of the French Dominican, Garrigou-Lagrange and earned a doctorate in theology. He finished his doctorate in theology in 1948 with a thesis on the subject of faith in the works of St. John of the Cross (Doctrina de fide apud Sanctum Ioannem a Cruce). At that time, during his vacations, he exercised his pastoral ministry among the Polish immigrants of France, Belgium and Holland. In 1948 St. John Paul II returned to Poland and was vicar of various parishes in Krakow as well as chaplain to university students. The short assignment as assistant pastor in a rural parish preceded his very fruitful chaplaincy for university students. This period lasted until 1951 when he again took up his studies in philosophy and theology. In 1953 he defended a thesis on “evaluation of the possibility of founding a Catholic ethic on the ethical system of Max Scheler” at Lublin Catholic University. Later he became professor of moral theology and social ethics in the major seminary of Krakow and in the Faculty of Theology at Poland’s University of Lublin. On July 4, 1958, Communist officials allowed him to be appointed titular bishop of Ombi and auxiliary of Krakow by Pope Pius XII, and was consecrated September 28, 1958, in Wawel Cathedral, Krakow, by Archbishop Eugeniusz Baziak. On January 13, 1964, he was appointed archbishop of Krakow by Pope Paul VI, who made him a cardinal three years later on June 26, 1967 with the title of S. Cesareo in Palatio of the order of deacons, later elevated pro illa vice to the order of priests. Besides taking part in Vatican Council II (1962-1965) where he made an important contribution to drafting the Constitution Gaudium et spes, Cardinal Wojtyla participated in all the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops. He attended all four sessions of Vatican II.
Cardial Wojtyla was elected Pope by the Cardinals at the Conclave of October 16, 1978 and he took the name John Paul II. He was the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years. On October 22nd, the Lord’s Day, he solemnly inaugurated his Petrine ministry as the 263rd successor to the Apostle. His pontificate is one of the longest in the history of the Church. He was head of the Catholic Church for 27 years (between 1978 and 2005), being the second-longest serving Pope in modern history after Pope Pius IX. On May 13, 1981 he was shot and severely wounded. In 1983 he visited Mehmet Ali Agca, who had attempted to assassinate him, in prison. Pope John Paul II became a spiritual protagonist in two global transitions: the fall of European communism, which began in his native Poland in 1989, and the passage to the third millennium of Christianity. He also instituted the annual February 2 “World Day of Consecrated Life”, the February 11 “World Day of the Sick” and at the same time his care for the family was expressed in the World Meetings of Families, which he initiated in 1994 and a World Meeting of Families every three years. Welcoming hundreds of thousands of young people to the Vatican for a special Palm Sunday celebration in 1984, has become the “World Youth Day”. His love for young people brought him to establish the World Youth Days. The 19 WYDs celebrated during his pontificate brought together millions of young people from all over the world. He promoted ecumenical and interfaith initiatives, especially the 1986 “Day of Prayer for World Peace” in Assisi. Pope John Paul II successfully encouraged dialogue with the Jews and with the representatives of other religions, whom he several times invited to prayer meetings for peace, especially in Assisi. Driven by his pastoral solicitude for all Churches and by a sense of openness and charity to the entire human race, Pope John Paul II exercised the Petrine ministry with a tireless missionary spirit, dedicating it all his energy. He made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy. As bishop of Rome he visited 317 of the city’s 333 parishes. He had more meetings than any of his predecessors with the People of God and the leaders of Nations. More than 17,600,000 pilgrims participated in the General Audiences held on Wednesdays (more than 1160), not counting other special audiences and religious ceremonies [more than 8 million pilgrims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone], and the millions of faithful he met during pastoral visits in Italy and throughout the world. We must also remember the numerous government personalities he encountered during 38 official visits, 738 audiences and meetings held with Heads of State, and 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers. He visited 129 countries, making him one of the most well-traveled world leaders in history. During his time as Holy Father he gave a multitude of important contributions to the Church including his teaching on the Theology of the Body, his emphasis on the Universal Call to Holiness, and his strong devotion to the Virgin Mary. He is also known as the “Pope of the Family.” He’s s often referred to as Saint John Paul the Great by many Catholics. He earned this title not just by being a religious figure, but by significantly improving the Catholic Church’s relations with the Orthodox Church, Islam, Judaism and the Anglican Communion. His dream was to create a religious alliance between all denominations. His dream was to create a religious alliance between all denominations. His exceptional apostolic zeal, particularly for families, young people and the sick, led him to numerous pastoral visits throughout the world. Among the many fruits which he has left as a heritage to the Church are above all his rich Magisterium and the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church and for the Eastern Churches.
Under his guidance the Church prepared herself for the third millennium and celebrated the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 in accordance with the instructions given in the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio adveniente. The Church then faced the new epoch, receiving his instructions in the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio ineunte, in which he indicated to the faithful their future path. With the Year of the Redemption, the Marian Year and the Year of the Eucharist, he promoted the spiritual renewal of the Church. He gave an extraordinary impetus to Canonizations and Beatifications, focusing on countless examples of holiness as an incentive for the people of our time. He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies during which he proclaimed 1,338 Blesseds; and 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints. He made Thérèse of the Child Jesus a Doctor of the Church. He considerably expanded the College of Cardinals, creating 231 Cardinals (plus one in pectore) in 9 consistories. He also called six full meetings of the College of Cardinals. He organized 15 Assemblies of the Synod of Bishops – six Ordinary General Assemblies (1980, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1994 and 2001), one Extraordinary General Assembly (1985) and eight Special Assemblies (1980,1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998 (2) and 1999). His most important Documents include 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, 45 Apostolic Letters. He promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the light of Tradition as authoritatively interpreted by the Second Vatican Council. He also reformed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law, created new Institutions and reorganized the Roman Curia. As a private Doctor he also published five books of his own: “Crossing the Threshold of Hope” (October 1994), “Gift and Mystery, on the fiftieth anniversary of my ordination as priest” (November 1996), “Roman Triptych” poetic meditations (March 2003), “Arise, Let us Be Going” (May 2004) and “Memory and Identity” (February 2005).
In the last years of his life, Pope John Paul II suffered from Parkinson’s disease and was forced to cut back on some of his activities. In the light of Christ risen from the dead, on Saturday, April 2, 2005, at 9.37 p.m., the eve of the Second Sunday of Easter or the vigil of Sunday in albis or Divine Mercy Sunday, which he had instituted, while Saturday was drawing to a close and the Lord’s Day was already beginning, the Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church’s beloved Pastor, Pope John Paul II, departed this world peacefully for the Father. From that evening until April 8th, date of the funeral of the late Pontiff, more than three million pilgrims came to Rome to pay homage to the mortal remains of the Pope. Some of them queued up to 24 hours to enter St. Peter’s Basilica. After his solemn funeral was celebrated on April 8, 2005, in Saint Peter’s Square, he was buried in the crypt of Saint Peter’s Basilica. On April 28, the Holy Father Benedict XVI announced that the normal five-year waiting period before beginning the cause of beatification and canonization would be waived for John Paul II. The cause was officially opened by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, on June 28 2005, and Pope John Paul II was beatified May 1, 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI, his immediate successor and for many years his valued collaborator as Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The canonization Mass for Blessed Popes John Paul II and John XXIII, was celebrated by Pope Francis (with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI), on April 27, 2014 in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican City. In an April 24 message sent to the Church in Poland, Pope Francis gave thanks for the great “gift” of the new Saint, saying of Pope St. John Paul II that he is grateful, “as all the members of the people of God, for his untiring service, his spiritual guidance, and for his extraordinary testimony of holiness.” Pope St. John Paul II is the Patron Saint of Polish-Ukrainian Reconciliation; World Meeting of Families 2015; World Youth Days. His feast day is October 22nd.
PRAYER: Almighty and eternal God, who in the Pope St. John Paul II, gave to the whole world the shining example of a good shepherd, grant that, through his intercession, we may with joy spread abroad the fullness of Christian charity. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen 🙏
QUOTES OF SAINT JOHN PAUL II, POPE:
☆”Faith leads us beyond ourselves. It leads us directly to God.”
☆”Do not be afraid to take a chance on peace, to teach peace, to live peace. Peace will be the last word of history.”
☆”There is no true peace without fairness, truth, justice, and solidarity.”
☆”Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence kills what it intends to create.”
☆”I plead with you, never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.”
☆”Let us remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, and look forward to the future with confidence.”
☆”Let science tell us what and how. Let religion tell us who and why.”
☆”Confession is an act of honesty and courage – an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.”
☆”Stupidity is also a gift of God, but one mustn’t misuse it.”
☆”We are all one family in the world.”
SAINT MARY SALOME: St. Mary Salome was the wife of Zebedee and the mother of apostles James the Greater and John the Evangelist, the “sons of Zebedee.” May have been a cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One of the “three Marys,” the holy women who ministered to Jesus during his earthly ministry, and may have accompanied him on his travels. She witnessed Christ’s death on the cross, His entombment, and His resurrection. Mark mentions St. Salome as one of the women who came to anoint the body of Jesus on the morning of the Resurrection. One Gospel story that shows Jesus and Salome has her asking Jesus what places her sons will have in His Kingdom. Jesus responds that it is the Father who assigns places in the Kingdom and that James and John will have to follow His own example of humility and sacrifice to earn places there. Legend says that after the Resurrection she went to Veroli, Italy and spent the rest of her life there spreading the Good News.
Saint Mary Salome, Pray for us 🙏
SAINT MELLO OF CARDIFF, BISHOP: Saint Mello of Cardiff (229-314) is listed as Mallonous, Mellouns, and Melanius. He was an early 4th-century Bishop of Rotomagus (now Rouen) in the Roman province of Secunda Provincia Lugdunensis (now Normandy in France). He was the first bishop of Rouen, France. A native of Cardiff, Wales. He was converted while in Rome and sent to France as a missionary by Pope St. Stephen.
Saint Mello of Cardiff, Bishop ~ Pray for us 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
Bible Readings for today, Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time | Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Luke 12:35-38
“Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival”
“Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.”
In today’s Gospel reading, the Lord told His disciples and all the people to be always prepared and ever ready at all times, using the comparison to the return of a master to his household, property and servants right after a wedding or function that he was attending, which could not be predicted and anticipated precisely. The Lord used that example to compare to our own situation, representing the Lord our God as the Master, while all of us are the servants in this world, and as the Lord Himself has promised and assured us all, He will return once again in glory, as we all believe, to judge all the living and the dead, and to usher in the eternal kingdom of glory and happiness that He has brought into our midst. No one knows exactly when this will happen, other than the fact that it will certainly happen. Therefore, it is a very important reminder for us all to live our lives with genuine faith in God and to continue to do our best to practice love in each and every actions of our daily living moments. We should always do our best to proclaim the Lord through our every actions, deeds and interactions in life, in our every words and dealings with those who are around us, and in how we live our lives embodying the faith we have in Christ. Each and every one of us should continue to walk in the path of God’s grace, and also follow the great examples set by our holy predecessors, all of whom have spent many times and moments in difficulties and tribulations, enduring various challenges for the Lord, but they remained truly faithful and committed to Him because they remember the great love and examples which He Himself has shown us through His Son.
We are called to be alert to the Lord’s coming and His presence. It is a call to be faithful, to be found attentive to the Lord, whenever the Lord comes and knocks. We think of the Lord coming at the end of our lives, but there is a sense in which the Lord comes and knocks on the door of our lives every day. In the book of Revelation the risen Lord says, ‘Behold I stand at the door and knock’. The Lord comes to us in and through the people and events that make up our day. If we are attentive and alert to the Lord’s daily coming, we will be alert to his coming to us at the end of our lives. There is an extraordinary reversal of roles in the Gospel reading. The Lord who finds his servants faithfully watching and waiting becomes their servant, putting an apron on himself, sitting his servants down at table, and waiting on them. It would have been unheard of in that culture for a master to behave like a servant towards his servants, treating them effectively as if they were the master. Jesus is saying to us that if we are faithful to him, if we are attentive to the various ways that He comes and knocks on the door of our lives, He will serve us in ways that will amaze us. In giving to the Lord, we will receive from him in greater abundance. The image of a master serving his servants would have seemed completely incongruous to Jesus’ contemporaries. It simply wasn’t done. Yet, as Isaiah the prophet had said many hundreds of years earlier, ‘God’s ways are not our ways’. Jesus is the one who gives expression to God’s ways, in what He says and what He does. Jesus is declaring that if we remain faithful, if we keep the flame of faith alive in our hearts, then He will serve us in ways that will surprise us. The servants in the parable did not forget their master simply because he was away for a time. They kept him in mind; they were as mindful of him as if he were physically present. In return they experienced his unconventional generosity. If we keep the Lord in mind in all we say and do, even during those times when He seems remote from us, we too will know His loving service.
In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians, the Apostle spoke of how God has reconciled us all to Himself, through the actions of His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom God had embraced our human nature and existence, entering into our world to reach out to us and to show His love for us, which He has always generously provided for us, and which He has endeavoured to make tangible and approachable to us through His Son. God has always loved us, His beloved children, which He has kept on doing all throughout time despite our frequent and constant disobedience against Him. He has always kept on His promises and love, giving us assurances, one after another through His many prophets and messengers, and eventually, by the sending of His Son. Through all that Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, had done, we have been called to reconciliation and reunion with our loving God and Father, as His most loving and selfless sacrifice, offering and gift for us from the Cross, at the moment of His Passion and death, has become for us the source of Hope and Joy, the assurance and promise of everlasting life and total liberation from the dominion and power of darkness, sin and all the evils which had ruled over us and dominated us all these while. As the Lord Himself has shown us His love so generously and so wonderfully through Christ, His Son, let us all therefore have truly firm faith and conviction to follow Him wholeheartedly and devoutly, not allowing ourselves to be swayed by temptations or fears in our path in life, in journeying towards Him and following Him.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to seek the Lord, His love and compassionate mercy, at all times, and for us all not to be afraid to come towards Him, as God is and has always been full of mercy and compassion, wanting each and every one of us to be reconciled and reunited with Him. We must never be afraid because through His Son, Our Lord has opened for us the path to eternal life and true happiness with Him, and what we all now need is for us to embrace this love and mercy, and we have to answer Him calling each and every one of us in the depths of our hearts. We must always be prepared for the Lord Who can come at any time for us, and we may have to reckon our lives and actions, and account for everything that we have done and whatever it is that we have failed to do. We are called to reflect on the lives of the Holy men and women and Saints, especially the Saints we celebrate today, Pope St. John Paul II, Pope, Saint Mary Salome and Saint Mello of Cardiff, Bishop. As we reflect on the life of Pope St. John Paul II, and also from the words of the Sacred Scriptures, let us all therefore ponder upon the great love of God which all of us have had the privilege of receiving so that we may continue to live our lives faithfully in God’s Presence. Let us all continue to dedicate ourselves and our every moments in life with great faith and strive to glorify the Lord ever more by our exemplary lives and actions, following in the good examples that Christ Himself has shown us, and as His Saints, like Pope St. John Paul II had done. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and the Lord be with us and bless us all in our every good 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!
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
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 🙏🏾
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. 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. 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 Lord, I thank You for the countless ways throughout my life that You have spoken to me, calling me to fulfill my mission of faith and love in this world. I commit to You, this day, to always remain vigilant and attentive to You every time You call. Use me, dear Lord, so that I may bring the light of Your saving Gospel to a world in need. 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 John Paul II, Pope; Saint Mary Salome and Saint Mello of Cardiff, Bishop ~ 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🙏🏽
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖
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