TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

MEMORIAL OF SAINT JUSTINA OF PADUA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR:

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY

Greetings and blessings, beloved family. Happy Monday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time and Happy Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary!

Pope Francis, on the eve of the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, yesterday, October 6, 2024 led the recitation of a Holy Rosary for peace at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, and prays that violence and hatred may be extinguished from human hearts.

Today, on this Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, may our Blessed Mother Mary Comfort us and intercede for us all as pray for the gentle repose of the soul of our loved ones who recently passed away. We pray for the repose of the souls of all those who will die today, asking God to have mercy on their souls and to lead them into Eternal Life. And we continue to pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

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 🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | October 7, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 7, 2024 |

*Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes France” | October 7, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 7, 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: Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, Monday October 7, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 1:12-14
Responsorial Psalm, Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55
Gospel, Luke 1:26-38

and/on

Today’s Bible Reading: Monday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, October 7, 2024
Reading 1, Galatians 1:6-12
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 111:1-2, 7-8, 9, 10
Gospel, Luke 10:25-37

HOLY ROSARY PRAYER FOR PEACE FOR OUR ‘WORLD IN DANGER’ LED BY POPE FRANCIS: Pope Francis leads the recitation of a Rosary for peace at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, and prays that violence and hatred may be extinguished from human hearts.

“Transform the hearts of those who fuel hatred, silence the din of weapons that generate death, extinguish the violence that brews in the heart of humanity, and inspire projects for peace in the actions of those who govern nations.”

Pope Francis made that supplication for peace on Sunday evening, October 6, 2024, as he prayed the Rosary at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. He was joined by participants in the Synod on Synodality taking place in the Vatican this month.

‘Wipe tears of those who mourn’

In his prayer for peace, the Pope brought the sorrows and hopes of peoples at war to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as he sat at the feet of the ancient icon of Maria Salus Populi Romani.

“We lift our gaze to you, immerse ourselves in your eyes, and entrust ourselves to your heart,” he prayed, noting that in her earthly life, Mary drew near to those who suffered. Pope Francis said humanity currently has great need of her loving gaze, which calls us to trust in her Son, Jesus Christ.

“Fly to our aid in these times oppressed by injustices and devastated by wars,” he prayed. “Wipe the tears from the suffering faces of those who mourn the loss of their loved ones, awaken us from the stupor that has darkened our path, and disarm our hearts from the weapons of violence”.

The Holy Father expressed his concern that our world is in danger, as we have lost the “joy of peace and the sense of fraternity.” He prayed that humanity may learn to “cherish life and reject war, care for those who suffer, the poor, the defenseless, the sick, and the afflicted, and protect our Common Home.”

In conclusion, Pope Francis asked Mary, Queen of the Rosary, to untie “the knots of selfishness and disperse the dark clouds of evil” and to fill us with her tenderness.

POPE FRANCIS’ PRAYER TO INVOKE PEACE

O Mary, our Mother, we come again here before you. You know the sorrows and struggles that weigh heavily on our hearts in this hour. We lift our gaze to you, immerse ourselves in your eyes, and entrust ourselves to your heart.

You, too, O Mother, have faced difficult trials and human fears, but you were courageous and bold. You entrusted everything to God, responded to Him with love, and offered yourself without reservation. As the intrepid Woman of Charity, you hurried to help Elizabeth, promptly addressing the needs of the couple during the Wedding at Cana; with steadfastness of heart, on Calvary you illuminated the night of sorrow with the Easter hope. Finally, with maternal tenderness, you gave courage to the frightened disciples in the Upper Room and, with them, welcomed the gift of the Spirit.

And now we beseech you: heed our cry! We have need of your loving gaze that invites us to trust in your Son, Jesus. You who are ready to embrace our sorrows, fly to our aid in these times oppressed by injustices and devastated by wars, wipe the tears from the suffering faces of those who mourn the loss of their loved ones, awaken us from the stupor that has darkened our path, and disarm our hearts from the weapons of violence, so that the prophecy of Isaiah may quickly be fulfilled: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not take up sword against another, nor shall they train for war again” (Isaiah 2:4).

Turn your maternal gaze upon the human family, which has lost the joy of peace and the sense of fraternity. Intercede for our world in danger, so that it may cherish life and reject war, care for those who suffer, the poor, the defenseless, the sick, and the afflicted, and protect our Common Home.

We invoke you for the mercy of God, O Queen of Peace! Transform the hearts of those who fuel hatred, silence the din of weapons that generate death, extinguish the violence that brews in the heart of humanity, and inspire projects for peace in the actions of those who govern nations.

O Queen of the Holy Rosary, untie the knots of selfishness and disperse the dark clouds of evil. Fill us with your tenderness, uplift us with your caring hand, and grant us your maternal caress, which makes us hope in the advent of a new humanity where “… the wilderness becomes a garden land and the garden land seems as common as forest. Then judgment will dwell in the wilderness and justice abide in the garden land. The work of justice will be peace…” (Isaiah 32:15-17).

O Mother, Salus Populi Romani, pray for us! 🙏🏽

Pope Francis leads Rosary prayer for peace for ‘world in danger’ | https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-10/pope-francis-rosary-prayer-peace-mary-major.html

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY | MEMORIAL OF SAINT JUSTINA OF PADUA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY – OCTOBER 7TH: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and the memorial of Saint Justina of Padua, Virgin and Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary on this feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. 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 and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. We pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world…. Amen🙏

OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY: Our Lady of the Holy Rosary is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was originally known as “Our Lady of Victory,” the feast was changed to Our Lady of the Rosary to honor the spiritual weapon through which the Blessed Virgin Mary saved Catholic Europe from the threat of Muslim invasion. This victory saved Europe from being overrun by the forces of Islam. The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was instituted following the Christian victory over the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. Pope St. Pius V, the “Pope of the Rosary,” attributed the naval victory of the Catholic forces, who were greatly outnumbered, to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Lady was invoked on the day of battle through a papal campaign asking the faithful across Europe to pray the rosary for the triumph of the Church. In thanksgiving for the miraculous victory, Pope St. Pius V instituted a feast to be celebrated throughout the world every year on October 7th. Pope St. Pius V and all Christians had prayed the Rosary for victory. The Rosary, or the Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is one of the best prayers to Our Mother Mary, the Mother of God.

This month of October is the Month of the Holy Rosary when the Church encouraged all the faithful to pray the rosary daily, as an offering of prayer to God made through His blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary. The rosary as we know is the long chain of beads used by Christians in prayers, most commonly for the rosary in offering of the set of fifty Hail Mary or Ave Maria interspersed with the Lord’s Prayer and Gloria Patri or ‘Glory Be’ prayer, as well as some other prayers and devotions such as the Devotion to the Divine Mercy which also uses the rosary. In modern times successive popes have urged the faithful to pray the Rosary. It is a form of contemplative prayer, mental and vocal prayer, which brings down God’s blessing on the Church. It is a biblically inspired prayer which is centered on meditation on the salvific mysteries of Christ in union with Mary, who was so closely associated with her Son in his redeeming activity.

On October 7, the first Sunday of October in the year 1571, Don Juan of Austria gained his famous naval victory over the Turks at Lepanto. In thanksgiving for this event, which he attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin through the recitation of the Holy Rosary, St. Pius V instituted an annual feast under the title of Our Lady of Victory. In 1585, his immediate successor, Gregory XIII, changed the title to that of the Rosary, and granted its Office to all churches in which there was an altar dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. In 1716, the army of Emperor Charles VI, under Prince Eugene, gained a remarkable victory over the Turks near Belgrade, on the Feast of Our Lady of the Snows, at a time when the members of the Society of the Holy Rosary were offering solemn prayers in Rome. Soon after, the Turks were forced to raise the siege of Corcyra. Clement XI, in memory of this, extended the feast of the Most Holy Rosary to the Universal Church in 1721. Benedict XIV caused an account of all this to be inserted into the Roman Breviary, and Leo XIII raised the feast to the rank of a feast of the second class. He also added to the Litany of Loreto the invocation: “Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us.” In 1961, the title of this feast became: Our Lady of the Rosary.

According to tradition, the devotion to the Holy Rosary was revealed to St. Dominic by the Blessed Virgin. It is one of the most highly indulgenced of all devotions and both a vocal and a mental prayer. Vocally, we recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. Mentally, we meditate on the great Mysteries of our Faith. Medieval nobleman used to wear wreaths of flowers, called “chaplets”, which were also offered as a symbol of homage to distinguished people. The Rosary was originally made up of 150 Hail Marys (in imitation of the 150 Psalms of the Divine Office) and divided into three “chaplets” of roses, called the Joyful, the Sorrowful, and the Glorious Mysteries. These “chaplets” were offered to our Lady, who is the Queen of heaven and earth and has a right to our homage. She is the Daughter of the Father, Mother Of the Son, and Spouse of the Holy Spirit. The Church urges all of us to offer her a crown of roses, i.e., the Rosary. In 2002, Pope John Paul II added another “chaplet”, or series of the Mysteries entitled the Luminous Mysteries contain events from the Hidden and Public Life of Jesus, i.e., the foundation of the work of our salvation. For four hundred years, the Popes have recommended the Rosary as the remedy for the evils afflicting society.

The Church wants us not so much to recall a distant victory but to discover Mary’s place in the Mystery of Salvation and to greet her by saying “Hail Mary” without ceasing. When Mary gave her consent to God at the Annunciation, “she committed herself wholeheartedly to God’s saving will and, impeded by no sin, she devoted herself totally, as the handmaid of the Lord, to the Person and work of her Son, under and with Him, serving the Mystery of the Redemption by the grace of Almighty God”. We are reminded to always be ever vigilant, resisting the temptations to disobey God and sin. We should make good use of whatever means that the Lord has given us to help us, with the Holy Rosary itself being one of these. We are encouraged to spend some time each day especially in this month of the Holy Rosary to pray the rosary. And when we pray the Holy Rosary, we should pray it with genuine understanding and intention, and not just uttering the words of prayer without meaning and understanding them. Let us pray the Holy Rosary in offering a most beautiful spiritual bouquet of prayer to our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary, who will then offer them on our behalf before her Son.

PRAYER: God, pour Your grace into our hearts, and grant that, as we learned of the Incarnation of Christ Your Son by the message of an Angel, so by His Cross and Passion and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Amen 🙏

THE STEPS FOR PRAYING THE HOLY ROSARY ARE:

  • Make the Sign of the Cross and say the “Apostles’ Creed”
  • Say the “Our Father”
  • Say three “Hail Marys” for Faith, Hope, and Charity
  • Say the “Glory Be”
  • Announce the First Mystery and then say the “Our Father”
  • Say ten “Hail Marys” while meditating on the Mystery
  • Say the “Glory Be” (Optional: Say the “O My Jesus” prayer requested by Mary at Fatima)
  • Announce the Next Mystery; then say the “Our Father” and repeat these steps (6 through 8) as you continue through the remaining Mysteries.
  • Say the closing prayers: the “Hail Holy Queen” and “Final Prayer”
  • Make the “Sign of the Cross”

Pope Saint John Paul II suggested the recitation of the Rosary as follows: ▪︎The JOYFUL Mysteries Monday and Saturday,
▪︎The LUMINOUS Mysteries on Thursday,
▪︎The SORROWFUL Mysteries  on Tuesday and Friday,
▪︎ The GLORIOUS Mysteries Wednesday and Sunday (with this exception; Sundays of Advent and Christmas – the JOYFUL; Sundays of Lent – the SORROWFUL).

HAIL MARY: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.🙏

THE MEMORARE: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen 🙏

PRAYER: God, whose Only-begotten Son, by His Life, Death and Resurrection obtained for us the rewards of eternal salvation, grant, we beg Thee that meditating upon these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.🙏

On this special feast day, we also celebrate the Memorial of Saint Justina of Padua, Virgin and Martyr.

SAINT JUSTINA OF PADUA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Justina of Padua (d. 304 A.D.) was a young and pious Christian woman who dedicated her virginity to Christ. She received baptism at the hands of St. Prosdocimus, the first Bishop of Padua in Italy. At the age of sixteen she was arrested for being a Christian under the persecutions of Roman Emperor Maximinian, and was ordered to make sacrifice to the pagan gods. When she refused, she was stabbed with a sword and left to die. Overlooking the field where she was martyred is a basilica named in her honor which holds her relics, as well as those of St. Luke the Evangelist, St. Matthias the Apostle, St. Prosdocimus, and other patron saints of Padua. Her feast was the day the Catholic naval forces won victory over the Turks in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, which increased her popularity among the faithful. St. Justina of Padua’s feast day is October 7th.

Saint Justina of Padua, Virgin and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/1007-memorial-our-lady-rosary.cfm

Monday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 1:26-38

“You will conceive in your womb and bear a son”

“The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.”

Today, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. The month of October has been traditionally the month of the Rosary. The Rosary has been a very important prayer in the prayer life of the church for many centuries. It is a prayer which invites us to reflect on the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus and on the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, as well as on Mary in glory. The two readings today present us with two of the mysteries we reflect on in the Rosary. The Gospel reading is the first Joyful Mystery, the annunciation to Mary. The first reading is the beginning of the story of Pentecost; the disciples are in continuous prayer, together with Mary the mother of Jesus and other members of Jesus’ family as they wait for the coming of the Spirit. In the Gospel reading, Mary is told by Gabriel that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and so the child to be born of her will be holy and will be called Son of God. It could be said that Gabriel announces Mary’s personal Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was needed at this moment of crucial new beginning. The first reading reflects another moment of new beginning, the beginning of the church. Again the Holy Spirit is needed at this second moment of new beginning, and, once again, this second moment involves Mary. Having had her own personal Pentecost, she is present at the Pentecost of the whole community of believers. There are always moments of new beginning in our own lives. Regardless of where we are on our life’s journey, the Lord is always calling us to make some new beginning. The same Holy Spirit is given to us as our resource at each of our own moments of new beginning, as he was given to Mary and the early church. As we set out on whatever new beginning we are making, no matter how small, we can confidently pray, ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart’. Through the working of the Holy Spirit in our own lives, we are continually reborn as sons and daughters of God, and brothers and sisters of Jesus. Saint Paul, in his letter to the Romans, tells us that the Spirit is given to us to help us in our weakness, because we do not know how to pray as we ought. We need the Spirit to pray as God desires us to pray. Whether we pray the Rosary or pray in some other form, our opening prayer needs to be, ‘Come Holy Spirit, help me in my weakness; empower me to pray as God desires me to pray’.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, on this special Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, we are reminded to remain faithful and be steadfast in prayer, we are all encouraged to pray the Holy Rosary daily, as an offering of prayer to God made through His blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary. The Blessed Mother of God granted the Rosary to us all in order to help us all to find our way to the Lord through prayer, and by focusing ourselves on the Lord and to the good examples that Mary herself had done in her life, as one who is truly full of grace and blessed, fully faithful and committed to the Lord, to her Son, by her perfect obedience and virtues. Through the repetitive prayers of the rosary, we are in fact brought into that state of prayer and silence that can break us out from our attachments and distractions in life which had often prevented us from finding our way to God. Through the prayer of the Rosary, our Blessed Mother Mary, our Lady of the Rosary wanted more and more people to spend more time in prayer and in communication with God, and also with her that she may help to bring us all and direct us towards her Son, our Lord and Saviour. On this Feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary we are reminded of the need for all of us to adopt this prayer of the Holy Rosary to help us to come ever closer to God, through His mother Mary, our mother and our role model in faith. May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us in our journey of faith through life, and may all of us grow ever closer to God through the guidance of Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, and our loving mother. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless us always, now and forevermore. 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 deep and wise Lord, You and You alone have every answer to life. You and You alone can reveal to me all that I need to know in life so as to achieve holiness and fulfillment. Please open my heart so that I can come to You with humility and sincerity, open to all that You wish to reveal to me.

My indwelling Lord, I am blessed beyond belief by Your divine presence dwelling within me. Please open my eyes to see You and my ears to hear You so that I will be able to dwell with You Who have come to dwell in me. Lord, may I understand the power of this precious gift, the Holy Rosary. Give me the grace of making this part of my daily prayer.  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; Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and Saint Justina of Padua, Virgin and Martyr ~ 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 and week and month of October 🙏🏽

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖