THIRTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 18, 2024
NOVENA TO CHRIST THE KING [Traditionally Nine Days Prior to the Solemnity of Christ the King. Novena prayed daily from November 15–23, 2024. Please see Novena link below]
THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? [Please see link to the article below]
PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? [Please see link to this article below]
KIND REMINDER: Please remember to continue to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory throughout the month of November
Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy Monday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time!
On this special Feast day, as we continue to remember the faithful departed, please let us remember to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory this month of November. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints, we humbly pray for the souls of our faithful departed loved ones, for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed. May God grant our departed loved ones eternal rest, may they reach their full stature. We pray for all those who mourn, for widows and widowers. 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
“Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their labors for their good deeds go with them.” ~ Rev 14:13
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🙏
We continue to pray for the safety and well-being of our children and for peace in our family and the whole world. 🙏
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” | November 18, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | November 18, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | November 18, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| November 18, 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, November 18, 2024
Reading 1, Revelation 1:1-4; 2:1-5
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6
Gospel, Luke 18:35-43
NOVENA TO CHRIST THE KING [Traditionally Nine Days Prior to the Solemnity of Christ the King. Novena prayed daily from November 15–23, 2024 |https://www.usccb.org/Christ-the-King-2024-novena
THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/01/the-saints-who-are-they-and-how-are-they-canonised/
PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/15/purgatory-and-limbo/
PURGATORY: The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a “purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven,” which is experienced by those “who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified” (CCC 1030). It notes that “this final purification of the elect . . . is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (CCC 1031). The purification is necessary because, as Scripture teaches, nothing unclean will enter the presence of God in heaven (Rev. 21:27) and, while we may die with our mortal sins forgiven, there can still be many impurities in us, specifically venial sins and the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven.
What Happens in Purgatory?: When we die, we undergo what is called the particular, or individual, judgment. Scripture says that “it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). We are judged instantly and receive our reward, for good or ill. We know at once what our final destiny will be. At the end of time, when Jesus returns, there will come the general judgment to which the Bible refers, for example, in Matthew 25:31-32: “When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. In this general judgment all our sins will be publicly revealed (Luke 12:2–5).
November is a month when we remember our dead in a special way. It is a month when we are prone to reflecting on death, not in a morbid way but in the hopeful way that is rooted in our faith. Please let us remember to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory this month of November and always.
FEAST AND SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES; SAINT ROSE PHILIPPINE, DUCHESNE, VIRGIN AND SAINT ODO OF CLUNY, ABBOT – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 18TH: Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles; Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, Virgin and Saint Odo of Cluny (Odon), Abbot. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and we pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for all parents and children, for peace, love, justice and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases.
DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES: Today’s feast celebrates the dedications of two of the four major basilicas of Rome. This feast is a spiritual journey to two holy tombs, that of St. Peter and that of St. Paul in Rome. These two basilicas, marking the place of each apostle’s martyrdom, are the common heritage and glory of Christendom; it is, therefore, easily seen why we observe their dedication.
SAINT PETER’S BASILICA: Among the sacred places venerated by Christians from ancient times, one of the most celebrated has always been the tomb of St. Peter, at Rome. Was originally built in 323 by the emperor Constantine. The basilica was constructed over the tomb of Peter the Apostle, the Church’s first Pope. After standing for more than a thousand years, Pope Julius II ordered the building to be torn down due to structural concerns. The construction of the new church spanned over 200 years before its completion. It was dedicated on Nov. 18, 1626. It is considered the most famous church in Christendom.
SAINT PAUL’S BASILICA: This basilica is located outside the original walls of Rome. It was also originally built by the emperor Constantine though it was destroyed by fire in 1823. Donations from around the world made the reconstruction possible. Before the completion of Saint Peter´s Basilica, St Paul’s was the largest church in Rome. The Basilica was built over St. Paul´s grave. Pope Pius IX consecrated the Basilica in 1854 before an assemblage of Cardinals and Bishops who were in Rome to attend the ceremonies connected with the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. These two churches continue to draw millions of faithful pilgrims each year as well as many visitors from other faiths. The anniversaries of both dedications are united and form the object of today’s feast.
PRAYER: God, give apostolic protection to Your Church, so that as she received the first revelation about You from the Apostles she may also receive through them an increase of heavenly grace until the end of time. Amen 🙏
SAINT ROSE PHILIPPINE, DUCHESNE, VIRGIN: St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (1769–1852) was born in Grenoble, France, to a wealthy and prominent family with political connections on August 29, 1769. Her father, Pierre Francois Duchesne, was a lawyer, businessman, and prominent civic leader in Grenoble, while her mother, Rose Perier, was a member of a leading family from the Dauphine region. From the young age of eight, St. Rose had a desire to evangelize in the Americas, sparked by hearing a Jesuit missionary speak of his work there. She received a basic education at home from tutors, and religious education from her mother. Educated from age 12 at the convent of the Visitation nuns in Grenoble, Rose joined them in 1788 at age 19 without the permission or knowledge of her family, taking her religious name after St. Rose of Lima and St. Philip Neri. Initially they were violently opposed to her choice, but finally gave in. After her convent was closed during the reign of terror, she joined the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1804, which sent her to the United States in 1818 fulfilling her childhood desire to do missionary work in the New World, especially among the Native Americans. This was realized when she and four nuns traveled across the Atlantic, a journey of eleven weeks, and another seven weeks up the Mississipi river to serve in one of the remotest outposts in the region in St. Charles, Missouri.
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne was sent to the Louisiana territory as a missionary and founded a boarding school for daughters of pioneers near St. Louis and opened the first free school west of Missouri. She also began a school for Indians. From the convent and school she founded at St. Charles, Mo. — later moved to Florissant, Mo. — she traveled over a wide area, founding schools for girls, doing charitable work, and finally ministering to Native Americans. St. Rose Philippine was a hardy pioneer woman ministering in the Midwest during its difficult frontier days. At the age of seventy-one she opened several schools and served the Potawatomi Indians who gave her the name “Quah-kah-ka-num-ad,” meaning, “Woman-who-prays-always.” She is often referred to as “The Lady of Mercy,” or ” Woman Who Prays Always.” St. Rose Duchesne was a valiant missionary and a well-known benefactress. She spent her last ten years in retirement in a tiny shack at the convent in Saint Charles, Missouri where she lived austerely and in constant prayer. She died on November 18, 1852 at Saint Charles, Missouri. She was beatified on May 12, 1940 by Pope Pius XII, and canonized July 3, 1988 by Pope John Paul II. St. Rose Duchesne is the Patron Saint of Opposition of Church authorities, diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau Missouri.Saint Odo (Odon) of Cluny. Her feast day is November 18th.
PRAYER: Gracious God, You filled the heart of Rose Philippine Duchesne with charity and missionary zeal and gave her the desire to make You known among all peoples. Fill us, who honor her memory today, with the same love and zeal to extend Your Kingdom to the ends of the earth. Amen 🙏
SAINT ODO OF CLUNY, ABBOT: Saint Odo (Odon) of Cluny (878-942), was born on ca. 878 at Le Mans, France and died on November 18, 942. A saint of the Roman Catholic Church, was the second abbot of Cluny. He enacted various reforms in the Cluniac monastery system of France and Italy. Devoted to St Martin of Tours, Odo died in that city. The Benedictine Abbey of Cluny was founded in AD 910 by William I, Count of Auvergne, who installed Berno of Baume as its first abbot and placed the abbey under the immediate authority of the Pope. In this way Cluny was immune from all secular interference. Odo had been educated at the court of William. At nineteen he received the tonsure, and became a canon in the church of Saint Martin at Tours. Here he ceased reading Virgil and other profane authors, resolving only to read such books as nourished Christian devotion. He studied theology for four years at Paris and on his return to Tours devoted himself entirely to prayer and the study of the Scriptures. Reading the Rule of St Benedict, he decided to become a monk under Berno at the abbey of Baume. Soon he became a priest and when Berno became the founder and first abbot of Cluny Abbey in 910, Odo followed him there, bringing his library. On Berno’s death in 927, Odo became the second abbot of Cluny.
Odo Inspires reform: Most Benedictine monasteries up till then were independent, but those founded from Cluny remained priories subject to the mother house. In this way Cluny became the model of monasticism for over a century in both France and Italy. Odo insisted on the strict observance of silence as absolutely necessary for interior solitude and the communion of a soul with God. He also stressed humility, obedience, self-denial and especially chastity. Influence in Italy: Odo visited Italy several times between 936 and 942, founding in Rome the monastery of Our Lady on the Aventine and influenced reform in other monasteries, such as Subiaco and Monte Cassino. Death at Tours: Out of devotion to Saint Martin, Odo wanted to die at Tours, and hastened there in his last illness. He died on the 18th of November 942 and was buried there. He’s Patron Saint for rain.
Saint Odo (Odon) of Cluny, Abbot ~ Pray for us 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, Monday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Luke 18:35-43
“What do you want me to do for you? Lord, please let me see”
“As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.” He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus was going into Jericho, intending to pass through on His way to Jerusalem. However, He stopped, in response to the earnest cry of a blind beggar, ‘Jesus, son of David, have pity on me’. Jesus’ face was set towards Jerusalem; He was determined to get to the city that had a reputation for killing prophets. Yet, He wasn’t so fixed on getting to where He was heading that He was indifferent to whatever happened along the way. What happened on the way was as important to Him as the destination. That is why He gave this blind man His full attention when others were rebuking him and telling him to keep quiet. Jesus always responded to the call of the present moment. Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He answered the man’s heartfelt prayer of petition, ‘Let me see again’, and, as a result, His prayer of petition gave way to a prayer of praise which spread to all the people who saw what had happened. Jesus models for us the importance of responding to the call of the present moment. We can all be too focused on where we are going to the neglect of where we are. What we might be tempted to think of as interruptions can actually be where the Lord’s call to us is to be found.
In our Gospel reading, the people around Jesus initially didn’t show the blind beggar much love. When he calls out to Jesus in his need, they came out to him and told him to keep quiet. They would have walked past him as if he wasn’t there, and they didn’t want him drawing attention to himself. However, he wasn’t invisible or inaudible to Jesus. The gospel reading simply says, ‘Jesus stopped’, and then he ordered the very people who were trying to silence the beggar to bring him over. We are never invisible or inaudible to Jesus, our risen Lord. He always stops for us whenever we cry out to Him in our need. As He did for the blind beggar, Jesus invites us to express what it is we want Him to do for us. It is a question worth asking. What is it we want the Lord to do for us? The blind man wanted to see again. He once saw and now he was blind. The church in Ephesus were once very loving, and now much less so. We can all drift from the person we used to be. We all need to recover something worthwhile that we may have lost. That awareness can be a good starting place for our prayer of petition to the Lord.
Today, the Church marks the occasion of the Dedication of the two great churches of Christendom, following after just over a week ago the celebration of the Dedication of the Lateran Archbasilica, the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist in Lateran, the Cathedral of the Vicar of Christ in Rome, the Mother Church of the whole world. Today, the two other great churches, namely the Papal Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican and the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls are remembered in their dedication and consecration to become hallowed and worthy places of Divine worship and the sacred offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to be the dwelling place of God Himself amongst us.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, on this special Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles, let us all also reflect and ponder on the fact that each and every one of us are also truly the Temples of the Lord’s Holy Presence, where He dwells, just as the Basilicas are truly great Houses of God, the House of the Lord’s Holy and Real Presence. We ourselves have received the Lord Himself, in the flesh, through the Eucharist, of His Real Presence in His Most Precious Body and Blood, as well as through the Holy Spirit that the Lord has imparted upon us, and dwelled in us. Hence, just as in the dedication of churches, and the Dedication of the great Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul, the edifices and places have been set aside, sanctified and made worthy of God’s Holy Presence, thus, we should also do the same with our own lives, our own bodies, hearts, minds and souls. Essentially, our whole being, in which God dwells in, should be truly holy and worthy of God. Let us all reflect and remember upon the lives and works of the great Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, their great courage and faith, and also how they have turned their lives for the better by following the Lord and committing themselves to Him. They both serve as great reminders for all of us that we ourselves have also been called to be great servants and disciples of the Lord, to proclaim Him in our world today and to do what the Lord has entrusted us all to do in our own respective capacities and opportunities we have been given. And as we rejoice in the memory of the Dedication of the great Basilicas dedicated to their name and memories in Rome, let us all also commit ourselves anew to the Lord in faith. Let us all strive to be good, holy and worthy in everything that we say and do, so that we may indeed be truly worthy of God, Who dwells in us and in our midst. Let us all therefore strive to be ever more faithful to the Lord in all things, being ever more filled with God’s love and grace and to be truly worthy of Him, dedicating ourselves ever more to His cause. May the Lord continue to help and encourage us, and strengthen us with the power and the will to live our live worthily as Christians, at all times. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to open ourselves more fully to God’s purpose for our lives and for our world. May the Lord bless us all and encourage our every good efforts and deeds, for His greater glory now and forevermore. Amen 🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER:
MONTH OF THE HOLY SOULS: The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of November to praying in a special way for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Holy Souls (also called the Faithful Departed) are members of the Church who await the purification of their souls before joining the Saints in heaven for all eternity. Specifically, they are referred to as the Church Suffering (the Saints in heaven are the Church Triumphant, and the faithful on earth are the Church Militant).The poor souls in purgatory cannot pray for themselves or do anything to hasten their entrance into heaven, but we can and ought to pray for them as an act of charity. The feast of the Holy Souls is November 2nd.
The entire month of November falls during the liturgical season known as Tempus per Annum or Ordinary Time (formerly Time After Pentecost), which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green is a symbol of hope, as it is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. The liturgical color green is worn during the praying of Offices and celebration of Masses of Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward. As we come to the end of the Church year we are asked to consider the end times, our own as well as the world’s.
The month of November is very full of Memorials, feasts and solemnities. The main feast days are the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1), The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) (November 2), the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (November 24), and St. Andrew (November 30).
The other saint days are: St. Charles Borromeo, (November 4), Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), St. Martin of Tours, (November 11), St. Josaphat (November 12), St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (November 13) St. Albert the Great (November 15), Sts. Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude (November 16), Presentation of Mary (November 21), St. Cecilia (November 22), Sts. Clement I and St. Columban (November 23), and
St. Catherine of Alexandria (November 25). The commemorations of St. Martin de Porres (November 3), St. Leo the Great (November 10), St. Elizabeth of Hungary (November 17), and St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions (November 24) fall on Sundays and are superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER – FOR ANYONE WHO HAS LOST A CHILD: We pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community and receive peace and consolation from the Holy Spirit.
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:
Saints Peter and Paul, God used you in unique and powerful ways that continue to have a profound impact upon the lives of God’s people today. Please pray for me, that I will also become a foundation upon which God continues to build His Church and from which the message of salvation goes forth. Saints Peter and Paul, pray for me.🙏
My compassionate Lord, I come to You in my weakness and poverty, I come in need of Your divine touch and healing. As You do pass by, I acknowledge Your presence and call to You. Jesus, please do come to me, have pity on me. Help me to overcome every obstacle to Your love and to trust in You always, never wavering from my commitment to You. 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 Peter and Paul, Apostles; Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, Virgin and Saint Odo of Cluny (Odon), Abbot ~ 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/
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