THIRTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 28, 2024

Greetings, and blessings beloved family. Happy Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time!

On this speacial Feast day, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles, 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 28, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 28, 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 28, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 28, 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, October 28, 2024
Reading 1, Ephesians 2:19-22
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 19:2-3, 4-5
Gospel, Luke 6:12-16

SAINTS OF THE DAY: SAINTS SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES OF CHRIST, MARTYRS – FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 28TH: Today, we celebrate together on this momentous day, the Feast of Our Lord’s Holy Apostles, and not just one but two of the Twelve Apostles, namely St. Simon and St. Jude, Holy Apostles of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Both Apostles followed the Lord and dedicated their lives and works to God, and they became for us great role models, examples and inspirations to follow, in how we should live our own lives. God had called them from their respective lives and pasts, to be His servants, and to do His will. Today as we rejoice in their memory and glory, let us all discern all that they had done for the greater glory of God. Both St. Simon and St. Jude encountered many challenges as well as opportunities and successes throughout their missions and works, as through their efforts, many came to know of the Lord and His truth, and many chose to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour. Just like that of the other Apostles, St. Simon and St. Jude laid the groundwork and firm foundations for the Church and the Christian faith. St. Simon and St. Jude nonetheless faced intense persecutions and challenges throughout their ministry and both were martyred for their faith. While traditions sometimes differed on the details of their martyrdom, what matters is that they remained true and faithful to God to the very end.

SAINT JUDE THADDEUS: St. Jude, also known as St. Jude Thaddeus (1st c.) was a blood relative of Jesus Christ and one of His Twelve Apostles. He was a brother of St. James the Lesser. According to Ancient writers, St. Jude preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Lybia. He was known for his preaching, healing, exorcisms, and his appearance was said to have closely matched that of Jesus’. According to Eusebius, he returned to Jerusalem in the year 62 and assisted at the election of his brother, St. Simeon, as Bishop of Jerusalem. St. Jude is the author of an epistle (letter) to the Churches of the East, in particular the Jewish converts, directed against the heresies of the Simonians, Nicolaites, and Gnostics. This Apostle is said to have suffered martyrdom in Armenia, which was then subject to Persia. The final conversion of the Armenian nation to Christianity did not take place until the third century A.D. St. Jude was the one who asked Jesus at the Last Supper why He would not manifest Himself to the whole world after His resurrection. Little else is known of his life, but legend claims that he visited Beirut and Edessa. St. Jude was beaten to death with a club, then beheaded post-mortem in 1st century Persia. His relics reside at Saint Peter’s in Rome, at Rheims, and at Toulouse, France. Saint Jude Thaddeus is not the same person as Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Our Lord and despaired because of his great sin and lack of trust in God’s mercy. St. Jude Thaddeus is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them. Therefore, St. Jude is invoked as the Patron Saint of desperate situations, forgotten causes, hospital workers, hospitals, impossible causes, lost causes, and the diocese of Saint Petersburg, Florida. St. Jude also wrote the book of the Bible that bears his name. He is represented as bearded man holding an oar, a boat, boat hook, a club, an axe or a book. Nearly every image of him depicts him wearing a medallion with a profile of Jesus. He usually has a small flame above his head and he often carries a pen. We remember him October 28 in Roman Church, and June 19 in Eastern Church.

SAINT SIMON THE ZEALOT: St. Simon, also known as St. Simon the Zealot (1st c.) was also one of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles, but one of the most obscure. He earned his name for being zealous for the honor of Jesus, showing a holy indignation towards those who claimed Christ with their lips while dishonoring him with their manner of life. St. Simon is surnamed the Canaanean and also the Zealot, to distinguish him from St. Peter and from St. Simeon, the brother of St. James the Lesser. The Syro-Chaldaic expression “Canaanean” means the same as the Greek Zelotes, a title that is said to have been given to him on account of his great zeal, but, according to others, from his belonging to a sect (among the Jews) called Zealots. It is supposed that he suffered martyrdom in Persia. Little is known about the post-Pentecost life of St. Simon. According to history, after the Ascension of Jesus, towards the end of his life, it is believed that St. Simon preached in Egypt and then joined St. Jude to preach the Gospel in Persia, where they were both martyred in 65 A.D. Here, he was supposedly martyred by being cut in half with a saw, a tool he is often depicted with. However, the 4th-century St. Basil the Great says he died in Edessa, peacefully. St. Simon is the Patron Saint of Curriers; sawmen; sawyers; tanners. St. Simon the Zealot and St. Jude Thaddeus share a feast day on October 28th.

“Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ: may mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” ~ Jude 1:1-2

PRAYER: God, You made Your Name known to us through the Apostles. By the intercession of Sts. Simon and Jude, let Your Church continue to grow with an increased number of believers. Amen 🙏
 
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: For Desperate Situations and Hopeless Cases: Prayed anytime of year, but especially October 19–27 (a nine day novena) in preparation for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude on October 28. 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:

Most holy Apostle Saint 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 any other personal requests now.)

May I and all people praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed Saint 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 🙏

May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Saint Jude, pray for us and hear our prayers.
Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Blessed be Saint Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity. Amen 🙏

(Now pray the Our Father and Hail Mary.)

Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles of Christ and Martyrs ~ Pray for us 🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 6:12-16

“From them Jesus chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles”

“Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.”

In today’s Gospel reading, the two Saints, Simon and Jude, whose feast we celebrate today are listed among the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus. The choosing of the twelve was a key decision for Jesus. It is only St. Luke who tells us, as we read in today’s Gospel reading, that, before He chose the twelve, Jesus spent the whole night in prayer to God. This was a decision He prayed about; His choice of the twelve came out of His prayer. Indeed, St. Luke emphasizes that Jesus prayed before all the key moments of His life – just after His baptism, just before He set His face to go to Jerusalem, in the Garden of Gethsemane as He faced into His passion and death; on the cross just before His death. We will often find ourselves praying at important moments in our own lives too. At such moments, we recognize our need for guidance and strength from above. Our prayer at such moments does not necessarily mean that everything will work out perfectly for us. Although Jesus spent the whole night in prayer before He chose twelve from among the disciples, one of those twelve, Judas, went on to betray Him. Yet, we can be sure that our prayerful surrender to the Lord at such times will always create space for Him to work, even when things do not work out as we had hoped. The Lord who, according to our Gospel reading, prayed all night before calling the twelve, intercedes for us all so that we may true to our calling to become living stones in the holy temple of the church. We become living stones by allowing the Lord to reveal His loving presence in the world in and through our lives. Our calling is to allow our lives to be shaped by those foundations and that corner stone.

In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, the Apostle told the faithful there about how they have all been made parts of the Church of God, becoming God’s holy people, having been called and chosen from the world to be truly beloved and holy in Him, and to share together the mission that God has entrusted to His Church, because all of them are part of this same one Church of God, as we all are as well. Too us all of us, God has entrusted the same missions which He has entrusted to His Apostles and His Church. In this Epistle, all of us as the disciples and followers of the Lord, we are all reminded that we are all as parts of the one Church of God have been made to be the Temples and Houses of God’s Holy Presence, as the Lord Himself has come into our midst, dwelling in us and giving us all the gift of His Holy Spirit, and through Him coming into us and dwelling within us, each and every one of us should always remember to keep ourselves truly holy and worthy of God by our actions and deeds, our contributions and efforts that mark as truly as those whom God had called and chosen. If we are idle in living our lives as Christians and if we do not do what we can do in order to follow the Lord and obey His commandments, then how can we be worthy part of the Temple of God, this one Church of God that is His Body? From the Sacred Scriptures, and through the actions that the Lord Himself had done, He has shown by His own examples, what each and every one of us as Christians should be doing in our own lives. Each and every one of us as Christians are called to do what God had entrusted to us to do, to commit ourselves wholeheartedly and to do His will, to show His love, compassion and kindness manifested through our own exemplary lives and actions, by each and every one of our loving actions towards our fellow brothers and sisters around us. All of us as Christians must always practice and show the love of God and embody His Good News and truth in everything that we say and do, in every opportunities and occasions, and that is how we take part in the efforts and works of the Church, which the Apostles had begun and which all of us ought to continue and carry on.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures on this special feast of Saints Simon and Jude, we reflect upon the lives and the works of these two Holy Apostles of the Lord. Let us all ponder upon what we ourselves as Christians have been called to do with our lives like that of the Apostles St. Simon and St. Jude. Both of them had dedicated themselves to the Lord, answered His call and committed themselves to do what they had been tasked and entrusted to do. And we have to realise that there are still a lot of things that the Apostles did which were still not yet completed. In fact, as time passes on, there are more and more opportunities and areas where we as Christians and the Church can contribute for the sake of many of the people out there still in need of God’s grace and love, His salvation and eternal life. As Christians, we must always emulate the examples of St. Simon and St. Jude, the other Apostles, and many other Saints, martyrs, and holy men and women of God in our own lives. Let us all hence be inspired and strengthened by their courage and faith and ask them for their intercessions that through their prayers and guidance, we may always be strengthened by God and empowered to remain faithful and committed to the Lord at all times.

May God be with us all His Church, His beloved people, and may each and every one of us be evangelising and faithful disciples of His, in the manner of the Holy Apostles, especially that of St. Simon and St. Jude. May the Lord continue to bless us all and guide us in our journey, and may He continue to empower and strengthen us in our path, so that we may always be strong regardless of the trials, challenges, hardships that may end up in our path. May all of us continue to live our lives worthily of the Lord, and continue to do what He has called us all to do, reminding ourselves that the works of the Apostles are far from done, and we, as the members of the Church, as parts of the same Body of Christ, we should do our best to proclaim God and His Good News to more and more people, not only by words but also through real action and commitment. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to open ourselves to the Lord in prayer, so that He, in turn, can touch our lives and shape them as God intends. May God bless us all in our every good deeds 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 glorious Lord, You called these two ordinary men, Simon and Jude, to be Your Apostles. You filled them with Your grace, taught them with Your Word, and sent them forth to preach to the ends of the earth. Please also send me, dear Lord, to whomever You choose. Use me as Your instrument and help me to always remain faithful and zealous, reaching out to those in need, especially to those who lack faith and hope in their lives. Saints Simon and Jude, pray for us. 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; Saints Simon and Jude ~ 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💖

Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/

Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org

Sir G.L.I Opiepe’s Health and Education Foundation |