Year: 2024

TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 11, 2024

FEAST OF THE DIVINE MATERNITY OF OUR LADY; SAINT JOHN XXIII, POPE AND SAINT TARACHUS AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS

Greetings beloved family. Happy Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time!

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

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

On this feast day, we continue to pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally, physically and critically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for our children and children all over the world, for students, for those seeking for the fruit of the womb, for the poor and needy, we pray for difficult marriages, for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. Amen 🙏

A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | October 11, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 11, 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 11, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 11, 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: Friday, October 11, 2024
Reading 1, Galatians 3:7-14
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 111:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Gospel, Luke 11:15-26

FEAST OF THE DIVINE MATERNITY OF OUR LADY; SAINT JOHN XXIII, POPE AND SAINT TARACHUS AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS: Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Divine Maternity of Our Lady; Saint John XXIII and Saint Tarachus and his Companions, Martyrs. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast of the Divine Maternity of Our Lady, we humbly pray for all Mothers, for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill 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🙏

THE DIVINE MATERNITY OF OUR LADY: By exalting the divine maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church celebrates the most perfect of Mothers, the model for all mothers. This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1931, for the 15th centenary of the Council of Ephesus during which the dogma of Mary’s divine maternity was proclaimed. In the texts of the liturgy, the Church expresses how Mary is the Mother of Jesus, but also our Mother, since it is by her intercession that she obtains for us the grace that unites us supernaturally to her Divine Son. The virginal maternity of Mary applies through Christ, whom she truly engendered in her flesh, to all the members of the Mystical Body of the Son of God. This teaching was exposed by St. Pius X in his encyclical Ad Diem Illum (1904): For is not Mary the Mother of Christ? Then she is our Mother also. Therefore all we who are united to Christ, and as the Apostle says are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones (Eph. 5:30), have issued from the womb of Mary like a body united to its head. Hence, though in a spiritual and mystical fashion, we are all children of Mary, and she is Mother of us all. Mother, spiritually indeed, but truly Mother of the members of Christ.

The jubilee marking the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus in the year 1931 was celebrated to the great joy of the whole Catholic world. The fathers at that Council, under the guidance of Pope Celestine, formally condemned the errors of Nestorius and declared as Catholic faith the doctrine that the Blessed Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Jesus, was truly the Mother of God. Prompted by holy zeal, Pope Pius XI determined that the memory of so important an event should continue alive in the Church. Accordingly he ordered the renovation of Rome’s famous memorial to the Council of Ephesus, namely, the triumphal arch and transept in the Basilica of St. Mary Major on the Esquiline. His predecessor Pope St. Sixtus III (432-440) had embellished that arch with a beautiful mosaic, but time had done it damage. In an encyclical Pius XI, moreover, underscored the principal teachings of the General Council at Ephesus, developing in detail and with loving affection the singular privilege of divine Motherhood granted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He believed that so sublime a mystery should ever become more firmly anchored in the hearts of the faithful. At the same time the Pope singled out Mary, the Mother of God and the one blessed among women together with the holy Family of Nazareth as the foremost model for the dignity and sanctity of chaste married life and for the religious education of youth.

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 🙏

Our Blessed Mother Mary ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT JOHN XXIII, POPE: Pope St. John XXIII (1881–1963), was best known for convening the Second Vatican Council. His feast is assigned to the day on which the first session of Vatican II opened in 1962. St. born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, on November 25, 1881 at Sotto il Monte (Bergamo) of a family of sharecroppers. Angelo was the fourth child of 14, born to pious parents. His religious education was entrusted to his godfather, who instilled in him a deep love and admiration of the mystery of God. Desiring to serve God with his life, he entered the minor seminary in 1892 at the age of 11, became a Secular Francsican in 1896 and in 1901 he entered the Pontifical Roman Seminary. On being ordained in 1904, he was appointed secretary to the bishop of Bergamo and taught in the seminary. His great friends among the saints during this formative period were St. Charles Borromeo and St. Francis de Sales, two outstanding intellectuals and also formidable pastors. He served as a military chaplain during the First World War, served as spiritual director of a seminary, and in 1921 served as the Italian president of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In 1925 Pius XI made him a bishop and sent him to Bulgaria as the Apostolic Visitator. For his Episcopal motto he chose Oboedientia et Pax. In 1935 he was assigned to Turkey and Greece where he ministered to the Catholic population and engaged in dialogue with Orthodox Christianity and with Islam.

During the Second World War he used his diplomatic means to save as many Jews as he could by obtaining safe passage for them. He was created cardinal and Patriarch of Venice in 1953 and was a much loved pastor, dedicating himself completely to the well being of his flock. Elected Pope on the death of Pope Pius XII, he was an example of a ‘pastoral’ Pope, a good shepherd who cared deeply for his sheep. He manifested this concern in his social enyclicals, especially Pacem in Terris, “On peace in the World.” His greatest act as Pope however was undoubtedly the inspiration to convoke the Second Vatican Council, which he opened on October 11, 1962. Pope John’s spirit of humble simplicity, profound goodness, and deep life of prayer radiated in all that he did, and inspired people to affectionately call him “Good Pope John.” In his first public address Pope John expressed his concern for reunion with separated Christians and for world peace. One of his first acts was to annul the regulation of Sixtus IV limiting the membership of the College of Cardinals to 70. He held a diocesan synod for Rome, convoked an ecumenical council for the universal Church, and revised the Code of Canon Law.

His encyclical, Mater et Magistra, was issued in 1961 to commemorate the anniversary of Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum. Pacem in terris, advocating human freedom and dignity as the basis for world order and peace. He elevated the Pontifical Commission for Cinema, Radio, and Television to curial status, approved a new code of rubrics for the Breviary and Missal, made notable advances in ecumenical relations by creating a new Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity and by appointing the first representative to the Assembly of the World Council of Churches held in New Delhi (1961). The International Balzan Foundation awarded him its Peace Prize in 1962. Pope John XXIII was elected Pope on October 28, 1958. He died on June 3, 1963 in Rome and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 3, 2000. He was canonized by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square on April 27, 2014, alongside the man who beatified him, Pope St. John Paul II.

PRAYER: Almighty and eternal God, who in the Pope St. John, 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 🙏
 
SAINT TARACHUS AND HIS COMPANIONS: In the year 304, Tarachus, Probus, and Andronicus, differing in age and nationality, but united in the bonds of faith, being denounced as Christians to Numerian, Governor of Cilicia, were arrested at Pompeiopolis, and conducted to Tharsis. They underwent a first examination in that town, after which their limbs were torn with iron hooks, and they were taken back to prison covered with wounds. Being afterwards led to Mopsuestia, they were submitted to a second examination, ending in a manner equally cruel as the first. They underwent a third examination at Anazarbis, followed by greater torments still. The governor, unable to shake their constancy, had them kept imprisoned that he might torture them further at the approaching games. They were borne to the amphitheatre, but the most ferocious animals, on being let loose on them, came crouching to their feet and licked their wounds. The judge, reproaching the jailers with connivance, ordered the martyrs to be dispatched by the gladiators.

Saint Tarachus and his Companions, Martyrs ~ Pray for us 🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 11:15-26

“If it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you”

“When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said: “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. “When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”

In today’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of St. Luke, our Lord Jesus was accused by some among the people, likely to be Pharisees and teachers of the Law that He had performed His miracles and signs, works and wonders by the collusion and collaboration with the prince of demons, Beelzebul. They accused Him of having committed this as well as blaspheming against God in His words, teachings and miracle works. According to the Gospel, Jesus was accused of being an instrument of Satan. They see the good He does but they attribute it to an evil source. They demonized Jesus. It is a human temptation to demonize other people or even whole groups of people. In reply to the accusation made against Him Jesus says in the Gospel reading that He does what He does not through the power of Satan but through the finger of God. The healing finger of Jesus was the finger of God but many people failed to recognize that wonderful reality. They were blind to God’s presence in Jesus. We can all suffer from the same blindness to some degree. We fail to see the ways in which God is at work among us. The Gospel reading invites us to be alert to the finger of God, which can take very simple and ordinary forms. When people are present to others in ways that are life-giving and healing, there the finger of God is at work. In the words of Jesus in the Gospel reading, there the kingdom of God has overtaken us. It is good to be on the look-out for the finger of God at work among us. If we are on the look-out, we are more likely to notice the Lord’s presence, and to give thanks and praise to God for all that God is doing among us.

In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Galatia, the Apostle exhorted the people of God there to believe truly and wholeheartedly in God and not be confined by the bounds of the Law, which was in fact referring to the Law of God that has been revealed to Moses and passed to the Israelites many centuries earlier. St. Paul wanted to tell the people of God that the Law as practiced and observed at his time did not bind anymore as it has been made complete and the fullness of its purpose, reality and meaning had been revealed to us through God’s Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Who had taught us what the Law has truly been intended for, that is to teach us all how to love and how to direct ourselves back towards the Lord, our ever loving God. For the context, this reference to the Law and its observances at the time was meant to refer to the way and manner how the Jewish authorities and influential elites, such as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law in particular enforced the Law of God and how they all interpreted these laws, rules and commandments of the Lord. They usually took a very literal, legalistic and strict interpretation of the Law, without fully understanding the context and purpose of those laws and rules in the first place, or why Moses made them in that manner. Not only that, but even worse still, those laws ended up dividing the people and making many of those same Pharisees and teachers of the Law to feel superior and better than the others, proud and judgmental, thinking that they were more worthy of God and His salvation. And linking that to the Law as mentioned by St. Paul in our first reading today, it was a reference to how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law having demanded the people to follow them in the manner how they practiced and lived the Law, containing no less than six hundred and thirteen rules and precepts, many of which were additions, interpretations and expansions accumulated throughout the many centuries that the Law had been passed down and interpreted, then re-interpreted again and again by different people, with different agenda and understanding of the purpose and meaning of the Law of God, that they ended up forgetting why the Law of God was given to the people in the first place by the Lord. What was meant to help bring the people towards the Lord ended up being exclusive, to the point that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law alleged that those who did not obey the whole Law in the manner they did, would not be saved, a fact which St. Paul was critical against.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that as Christians, as God’s holy and chosen people, we have been called and entrusted with His grace and blessings, the assurance of His love and salvation that He has provided to everyone regardless of their background and origins, reaching out to every one of us, children of mankind, showing His ever patient love and kindness, His desire to be reunited and reconciled with us, His wayward children scattered throughout the world. No one can truly separate us from the love of God unless it is we ourselves who willingly distance ourselves from Him and keep rejecting His ever generous offer of love and kindness. As we have all been reminded by the inspiring examples of the lives of the Saints especially, the example set by Pope St. John XXIII, who we celebrate today, in his life and ministry, let us all therefore strive to do our best in our own lives, in our every words, actions and deeds so that we may indeed be great role models of our Christian faith and virtues, and be the shining beacons of God’s light, truth and love. Let us all obey the Lord ever more faithfully in all of our lives and actions, entrusting ourselves to His will. Let us all live our lives henceforth as faithful and genuine Christians, showing true love, care and concern for our fellow brothers and sisters just as Pope St. John XXIII had done. Let us all truly understand the true meaning and purpose of God’s Law, that is the Law of love, so that we may truly learn to love the Lord our God, and also our fellow brothers and sisters, with all of our hearts, with all of our strength and might, at all times and in all circumstances in our every day lives. May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, through the examples of His Holy Saints like Pope St. John XXIII and many others continue to inspire us to live our lives ever more worthily in His Holy Presence from now on. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace and keep creating in us a new heart and a new spirit and may all of us continue to bear the Good News and love of God ever more faithfully in our lives, and strive to be ever more faithful in all the things we do in life, now and always, 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 glorious King, You desire to build up Your Kingdom in my life and, through me, in the lives of others. Give me the grace and courage I need to fully accept all that You have taught me and to actively become an instrument of Your grace and truth in the world. May I be with You in all things, dear Lord, and gather many into Your loving arms of grace. 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 XXIII and Saint Tarachus and his Companions ~ 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 month of October and relaxing weekend 🙏🏽

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖

Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com

Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org

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

TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 9, 2024

MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, CARDINAL; SAINT DENIS, BISHOP AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS; SAINT JOHN LEONARDI, PRIEST; SAINT LOUIS BERTRAND, PRIEST AND SAINT DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE, BISHOP AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS

Greetings beloved family. Happy Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time!

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

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

On this feast day, we continue to pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally, physically and critically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for our children and children all over the world, for students, for those seeking for the fruit of the womb, for the poor and needy, we pray for difficult marriages, for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. Amen 🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | October 9, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 9, 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 9, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 9, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) | https://youtu.be/vVc782kcDds

Today’s Bible Reading: Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Reading 1, Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 117:1, 2
Gospel, Luke 11:1-4

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, CARDINAL; SAINT DENIS, BISHOP AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS; SAINT JOHN LEONARDI, PRIEST; SAINT LOUIS BERTRAND, PRIEST AND SAINT DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE, BISHOP AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS – FEAST DAY – OCTOBER 9TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint John Henry Newman, Cardinal; Saint Denis, Bishop and Companions, Martyrs and Saint John Leonardi, Priest; Saint Louis Bertrand, Priest and Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, Bishop and his companions, Martyrs. 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 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🙏

SAINT JOHN  HENRY NEWMAN, CARDINAL: Saint John Henry Newman (1801 – 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, a convert to Catholicism. First an Anglican priest and later a Catholic priest and made a Cardinal. He was one of the great Christian intellectuals, who was an important and controversial figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century. St. John Henry Newman was born in London, United Kingdom in February 21, 1801. He was the eldest of six children born to Jemina Fourdrinier, John Newman, a nominal Protestant family in London, England. As a child he loved reading the Scriptures and experienced a conversion to Christianity at the age of fifteen. His spiritual quest having begun in adolescence, he later went on to study theology at Oxford University. He became a brilliant academic, an extremely influential Oxford scholar, and subsequently an Anglican priest. He was a fellow of Oriel College and leader in what was called the “Oxford Movement,” which studied the Catholic roots of the faith in England and argued for a revival of traditional religious practice in the Church of England. Once anti-Catholic in his religious sentiments, sentiments that were common in England, St. Newman was increasingly impacted by the Church Fathers and other Catholic writers. In 1842, while writing his “Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine”, he began to mature his conversion to Catholicism. His theological views gradually aligned with the Catholic Church in opposition to Anglican doctrine. Through his continued study of Church history he became unable to remain a Protestant in good faith. He made the decision to convert to Catholicism and was admitted into the Catholic Church in 1845, which exposed him to much ridicule in his academic and religious circles. Two years later he was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome on June 1, 1847. Following his ordination, and with the encouragement of Pope Pius IX, he founded the first Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England.

In 1852, St. Newman was appointed rector of the Catholic University of Dublin, Ireland, a post he held until 1854. Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal in 1879 and he died on August 11, 1890, at the Oratory of Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. The process for his beatification began in 1958. St. Newman’s miraculous intercession in the cure of Dean Jack Sullivan, who suffered a serious complaint of the spinal column, was officially recognized and approved by Benedict XVI in July 2009 and beatified on September 19, 2010. Pope Francis canonized John Henry Newman on October 13, 2019. St. John Henry Newman is remembered for his influential writings on theology and philosophy as well as his founding of the famous London Oratory. Newman wrote forty books and 21,000 letters, some of which had profound influence on the Second Vatican Council, making him one of the most important theologians of his day. His most famous work is his Apologia in which he defends his conversion to the truths of the Catholic Church. His feast day is October 9th.

Saint John Henry Newman, Cardinal ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT DENIS, BISHOP AND COMPANIONS,  MARTYRS: St. Denis was born in Italy. About the middle of the 3rd century, in 250, St. Denis was sent to France with six other missionary Bishops by Pope Fabian to preach the faith in Gaul. St. Denis who brought the faith to Lutetia Parisiorum (the present Paris) and organized a church. St. Denis became the first bishop of Paris. In carrying out his duties as the first Bishop of Paris, he was aided by a priest named Rusticus and a deacon called Eleutherius. So effective were these holy men in converting the people to Christ that the pagan priests became alarmed over their loss of followers. At their instigation, the Roman governor arrested the missionaries, and after a long imprisonment the three servants of God suffered martyrdom together by beheading at a place called Vicus Catulliacus, the present St. Denis, during the persecution of Decius (250) of Valerian (258).

The site of their death provided the foundation for the Abbey of St. Denis which went on to become the burial place for the King of France. One of the many legends about St. Denis torture and death was that his body carried his severed head some distance from his execution site. St. Denis is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers who was invoked particularly in the Middle Ages against the Black Plague, emergencies or afflictions. He’s Patron Saint against frenzy; against strife; headaches; against diabolical possession; France; Paris, France.

PRAYER: God, You sent St. Denis and his Companions to proclaim Your glory to the nations and strengthened them with the virtue of constancy in their passion. Help us, after their example, to despite worldly prosperity and adversity. Amen 🙏

SAINT JOHN LEONARDI, PRIEST: St. John Leonardi (1541-1609), an Italian who studied to be a pharmacist, but became a priest is a model for today’s clergy. He was born in Tuscany, Italy in 1541, during the time of upheaval in the Church due to Martin Luther. From childhood he manifested a desire to seed solitude and give himself to prayer and meditation. He studied to be a pharmacist, then became a priest at the age of thirty-two and guided many youths in the way of perfection. As a young priest, he devoted himself to teaching catechism to youths. In 1574, he founded the Order of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca, a congregation of diocesan priests. The order was founded to convert sinners and restore Church discipline in Italy. He worked in hospitals and prisons caring for the sick, physically and spiritually. He suffered many tribulations for this work, including exile. A contemporary of St. Philip Neri and St. Joseph Calasanz, St. John labored zealously for the defense of the faith. St. Philip Neri, was a great friend and spiritual guide, and helped him particularly in his time of exile. Gradually his influence as a champion of the Catholic faith against Protestantism became known throughout Italy.

In 1603, St. John together with Cardinal Vives, he founded a Vatican department, the College of the Propaganda in Rome, what became the Institute De Propaganda Fide (Society for the Propagation of the Faith) and the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for the promotion of the Catholic Faith and the formation of missionaries. St. John Leonardi died at Rome on October 9, 1609, while caring for the victims of the great plague and was canonized in 1938 by Pope Pius XI. He is the Patron Saint of Pharmacists, Clerics Regular of the Mother of God, Lucca.

PRAYER: God, the Giver of all good things, You had the Gospel preached to the people through St. John, Your Priest. Grant, through his intercession, that the true faith may spread always and everywhere. Amen 🙏

SAINT LOUIS BERTRAND, PRIEST: St. Louis Bertrand (1526 – 1581), priest, missionary, confessor was a Spanish Dominican friar who preached in South America during the 16th century, and is known as the “Apostle to the Americas”. He was born at Valencia, in Spain, on January 1, 1526, of the same family as St. Vincent Ferrer. In 1545, after severe trials, he was professed in the Dominican Order, and at the age of twenty-five was made master of novices, and trained up many great servants of God. When the plague broke out in Valencia he devoted himself to the sick and dying, and with his own hands buried the dead. In 1562 he obtained leave to embark for the American mission, and there converted vast multitudes to the Faith. He was favored with the gift of miracles, and while preaching in his native Spanish was understood in various languages. After seven years he returned to Spain, to plead the cause of the oppressed Indians, but he was not permitted to return and labor among them. He spent his remaining days toiling in his own country, till at length, in 1580, he was carried from the pulpit in the Cathedral at Valencia to the bed from whence he never rose. He died on the day he had foretold-October 9, 1581.

Saint Louis Bertrand, Priest ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE, BISHOP AND HIS COMPANIONS,  MARTYRS: Saint Dionysius the Areopagite was the first Bishop of Athens and of Paris. Born during the first century AD, Dionysius grew up in a wealthy Athenian family. Before his conversion to Christianity, he was known to have studied both in Greece and abroad. When Dionysius heard Paul preach on Christ on the Areopagus Hill in Athens, he recalled this experience which reinforced his conviction that Paul was speaking the truth on Christ as the Savior of the World. Saint Dionysius or Denys the Areopagite was converted by Saint Paul in Athens, he  carried the Faith farthest into the west, fixing his see at Paris. France claims him as one of her greatest glories. He was baptized, with his family in 52 AD. His acceptance of Christ is referred to in Acts 17:34.

Historical accounts wrote that when St. Dionysius learned that the Mother of Christ, Mary, lived in Jerusalem, he travelled to Jerusalem to meet her. When Dionysius learned the news that Saint Paul had been executed by beheading outside Rome, he wholeheartedly desired to sacrifice his own life to honor Jesus. Along with his friends Eleutherius and Rusticus, Dionysius made the courageous decision to go and preach Jesus’ Gospel openly in public. After managing to convert many pagans to Christianity, St. Dionysius, the former judge, along with Eleutherius and Rusticus, were finally beheaded during the reign of Emperor Domitian, in 96 AD. Saint Dionysius the Areopagite is the patron saint of the city of Athens, and is also known as the protector of judges and the judiciary.

Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, Bishop and His Companions, Martyrs ~ Pray for us 🙏

Let us pray:

Lord, I do thank You for the countless blessings that You have bestowed upon me throughout my life. I thank You for the ways in which You have graced me, led me and healed me.  Help me to see clearly all that You have done and continue to do for me.  As I see these blessings, help me to daily express my gratitude in faith.  Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today: Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 11:1-4

“Lord, teach us to pray”

“Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”

In today’s Gospel reading, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. The disciples’ request is, in itself, a valuable prayer, ‘Lord teach us to pray’ or to express that prayer in different words, ‘Lord, help me to pray; Lord, pray within me’. The ‘Our Father’ has been rightly called the ‘Lord’s prayer’ because it is a prayer that the Lord Himself has given us. The prayer begins with a focus on God and on God’s purposes for our lives and the world, and it then shifts to a focus on our primary needs as human beings and the Lord’s disciples. There is a pattern there that is valid for all of our prayer. We attend first to God and to whatever God desires and then to our needs before God. The Gospels suggest that Jesus often went away to a lonely place to pray. His own prayerfulness inspired His disciples with a desire to become people of prayer, like Himself, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’. The disciples seemed to recognize that if they were to pray they would need the Lord’s help. Prayer is not just a human activity; it is the Lord’s activity in us, through the Spirit. Prayer can take many different forms for all of us. Sometimes our prayer is quite informal. We talk to the Lord as if to a friend expressing spontaneously to him what is in our heart. Such prayer can be deeply personal. In this kind of spontaneous prayer we lift up all that is in our mind and heart to God. We reveal ourselves as we are, with great freedom, trusting that God wants us to be ourselves before him. There are other times, however, when we are glad to be given a prayer to pray. We look for guidance in how to pray. That is what we find the disciples doing in today’s Gospel reading, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as St. John taught his disciples’. Their question revealed a great openness of heart to what Jesus might have to teach them about prayer. In response to their request, Jesus gave them a prayer to say, which is itself a teaching on how to pray. Jesus’ prayer is addressed to God as Father. The Father of Jesus is also our Father, because we have come to share in Jesus’ own relationship with God. In this prayer, Jesus teaches us to begin our prayer by surrendering to God’s purpose for our lives and the life of the world. We pray not to promote our own kingdom but to open ourselves to the coming of God’s kingdom. This was the prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane, ‘not my will but yours be done’. In this prayer, Jesus teaches us to also ask on behalf of ourselves. However, we are to ask for what we need and not just for want we want. What do we need according to Jesus? We need the daily sustenance for body and soul; we need forgiveness for our sins and a willingness to pass on the forgiveness we receive to others; we need the Lord’s strengthening presence when our faith and the values that flow from it are being put to the test. Here indeed is both a prayer to be prayed and a rich teaching on how to pray.

In our Gospel reading today, the Lord told His disciples about how people will help another or a friend when this friend or someone has a need, and if the person seeks for help. Using that same analogy, the Lord therefore highlighted just how much more God will also help all those who seek His help, confide in His Presence and love, and entrust themselves to His care. God Who is our loving Father and Creator, our Lord and Master will not abandon us to the darkness, or ignore our cries and pleas for help. As long as we come to Him and open our hearts and minds to listen to Him, calling upon Him as our loving Father, He will respond to us and answer our pleas. While what we receive may not be what we desired and wanted, but God will respond to us in the manner according to His will. This is why we must heed the message of today’s Gospel, which was meant to remind us all not to easily lose faith and trust in the Lord, something which had happened to so many people all around the world. Many people no longer have truly genuine faith and trust in the Lord, and they did not live their lives with the Lord at the centre of their lives and existence anymore. Many of them even no longer regularly participate in the proper and genuine living and practice of their Christian faith, as we can easily count how many people still actually attend the weekly Sunday Masses and other practices and devotions of our faith, while so many others have simply stopped practicing their faith, and instead they put their efforts, commitment and trust in various other worldly means and methods, thinking that those things are better than God or what God can give them. As Christians, each and every one of us are reminded to continue to have true and genuine faith in the Lord, and to be obedient and humble before Him, making ourselves to be truly attuned to God’s will, to what He wants us to do in each and every moments of our lives. All of us are invited to reorientate and refocus our lives once again upon the Lord if we have allowed ourselves to be swayed away from His path and grace. We should always keep in mind that how we live our lives is truly important because ultimately each and every one of us as disciples and children of God are seen by everyone around us and we may either lead others closer or further away from the Lord through our lives, our actions, words, deeds and interactions with one another.

As Christians, we all need to allow our own outlook and vision to expand so that it corresponds more to God’s outlook and vision. Perhaps that is why the opening petition of the prayer Jesus taught His disciples was, ‘Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come’. Jonah was working out of his own little kingdom, which corresponded to Israel, and out of his own limited perspective. This can be true of all of us. Each day we are to pray for the coming of God’s kingdom, so that the world may be as God wants it to be. This is a world where everyone, including our traditional enemies, are assured of daily sustenance. It is a world where we are to forgive one another, including our enemies, otherwise we set up a block within ourselves for receiving God’s forgiveness. In this world, shaped by God’s values, we will need to pray that, when our faith in the priority of God’s kingdom is put to the test, God will give us the strength to stand firm rather than settling for the promotion of our own kingdom.

Our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Galatia in what is now part of Turkey is the continuation of the story which the Apostle had told to the people of Galatia regarding his past experiences and journeys, on how he was sent to proclaim the Word of God to the people of various places together with other Apostles and disciples like that of St. Barnabas, and how he had various encounters and experiences with all those people whom he had met. He also recounted his experiences in meeting the other Apostles of the Lord in Jerusalem and Judea where many of them were based in, and how there were tensions within the early Church and Christian community because of the disagreements among those who sided with the view of St. Paul and the majority of the disciples and those who came from the strict Jewish background on the matter of whether the Jews and non-Jewish people among the faithful should mingle together or not. Those who came from the strict Jewish background such as from among the members of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law held very exclusivist view of the faith, and demanded that the Jewish customs and practices ought to be followed. On the other hand, St. Paul the Apostle championed the view that in order to reach out to the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people, the Church could not demand such unreasonable things from the non-Jewish people and in fact the faithful as a whole because the extent in which the Law of God was observed and practiced by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were very excessive, superfluous and extremely demanding, especially for the non-Jewish people to adapt, and hence St. Paul lightly rebuked St. Peter who was afraid of offending those converts from the Jewish people and hence appeared to follow their ways.

According to our first reading, it had been the custom of St. Peter ‘to eat with the pagans’. The reference to ‘pagans’ there is to members of the church whose background was pagan and who would have had no familiarity with Jewish food laws. It seems that St. Peter was initially prepared to forgo Jewish food laws so that he could share table fully with these believers in the Lord who came from a pagan background. However, according to St. Paul, under pressure from St. James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem, St. Peter stopped doing this, for fear of offending those Jewish Christians who held that all believers should submit to the Jewish Law. St. Paul clearly felt that St.
Peter should have stood up to St. James, resisting his pressure, and, so, St. Paul tells us that he opposed St. Peter to his face. We only have St. Paul’s side of the story here. Perhaps St. Peter would have told the story a little differently. There is no doubt that both Sts. Peter and Paul, and James, were absolutely committed to doing the Lord’s will and working for the coming of God’s kingdom. They could easily have prayed together, in the words of the prayer Jesus gave to His disciples in the Gospel reading, ‘Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come’. Although both Sts. Paul and Peter wanted to create spaces for the coming of God’s kingdom, they seemed to have different views on what that meant in practice. They had at least one strong disagreement. Perhaps, subsequent to this heated exchange, another petition of the Lord’s Prayer would have become very relevant, ‘Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us’. We can have strong disagreements about what the Lord is asking of us as a community of believers and still remain in communion with one another. Discerning what the Lord is asking of us in complex situations is not always easy. Tensions and disagreements among committed believers are inevitable. Yet, we all need to be able to pray the prayer that Jesus gave us, recognize that we are all brothers and sisters under God our Father, who stand in need of forgiveness as we work for the coming of God’s kingdom on earth.

As we reflect on the words of the Lord in the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, each and every one of us are parts of the one Church of God and we all share together the mission of the Lord in reaching out to more and more people all throughout the whole world. All of us should continue to follow the Lord’s calling and embrace whatever missions that He had entrusted to us. Each one of us have the shared responsibility to proclaim the Gospel, the Good News of God to more and more people so that they may come to know of the Lord and that they may be inspired to follow Him and be saved together with all of us. All of us are called to continue remembering what the Lord has taught us and to follow Him in all of that. As we reflect on the Sacred Scriptures, we are called to emulate the Saints and learn from the life and examples of God’s Holy Mem and Women and all the Saints, particularly, the Saints who we celebrate today, St. Denis and his companions in martyrdom; St. John Leonardi; Saint John Henry Newman; Saint Louis Bertrand as well as Saint Dionysius the Areopagite and his companions. All of us are reminded that we have been called to share in the journey and faith of our holy predecessors, those who had also encountered lots of difficulties, challenges and obstacles in their own lives. Yet, we must remain strong in faith and we must not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by the temptations and pressures all around us, that we may continue to embody our faith in the Lord ever more worthily by our dedication and commitment to Him. We must be missionary and evangelising in each and every moments of our lives, and even in the smallest and seemingly least significant actions that we do. May the Lord our ever loving and compassionate God continue to guide us in our respective journey in life, so that we may always continue to be faithful and committed to Him. May He continue to bless us in our every good efforts and endeavours to follow Him and to obey His Law and commandments, and to do what is right and just in accordance with His will. May God bless us all in our every efforts and endeavours, and continue to encourage and strengthen us in all the struggles and in persevering through the hardships and difficulties in our journey towards Him. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace as we all continue to strengthen and deepen our faith in each and every opportunities provided for us, and draw ever closer to the Lord, now and always. Amen 🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER:

MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY: The Catholic Church designates and dedicate October as the Month of the Holy Rosary. During this month the faithful venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary especially under her title of Our Lady of the Rosary, and make special effort to honor the Holy Rosary with group recitations and rosary processions. The Lady of the Rosary honors a large battle between the Catholic Church and the Muslim caliphate of the Ottoman Empire. This battle, in the Gulf of Patras, near Greece, took place in the 16th century, on October 7, 1571. St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers, is the Saint to whom Our Lady famously appeared and gave the prayers of the Holy Rosary to assist him as a spiritual weapon in combating heresy and leading souls back to the one, true Catholic faith. Our Blessed Mother Mary ~ Pray for us 🙏

THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY: Until about the 15th century hundreds of mysteries were part of the Rosary devotion then the 15 mysteries that we know today were definitively fixed as “the Mysteries of the Rosary.” Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in 2002 added the five Luminous Mysteries.

Through the meditations of the complete Rosary one recalls and has impressed on his mind, the Popes tell us, “the chief mysteries of the Christian religion,” “the mysteries of our Redemption,” “the great mysteries of Jesus and His Mother united in joys, sorrows, and triumphs.” The twenty mysteries are divided into four equal groups, known as “The Joyful,” “The Sorrowful,” “The Glorious,” and “The Luminous Mysteries.”

PRAYER OF ST. LOUISE DE MONTFORT: O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your might, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Subdue every hostile power, the devil, the world and the flesh, in the strength of Your Spirit, for the glory of Your Father, Amen 🙏🏽

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER – FOR A SHARED MISSION: We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen 🙏🏾

During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏

Let us pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  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; Mother of Mercy; Saint John Henry Newman; Saint Denis, and Companions; Saint John Leonardi; Saint Louis Bertrand and Saint Dionysius the Areopagite and his companions ~ 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💖

Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com

Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org

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

TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 8, 2024

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF GOOD REMEDY

MEMORIAL OF SAINT PELAGIA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR; SAINT PELAGIA, HERMITESS; SAINTS MARCELLUS AND APULEIUS; SAINTS SERGIUS AND BACCHUS, MARTYRS; SAINT HUGH OF CANEFRO, RELIGIOUS AND BLESSED AMBROSE OF SIENA, RELIGIOUS

Greetings beloved family. Happy Tuesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time and Happy Feast of Our Lady of Good Remedy!

Today, on this Feast of Our Lady of Good Remedy, may our Blessed Mother Mary Comfort us and intercede for us all as we 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 8, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 8, 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 8, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 8, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) | https://youtu.be/vVc782kcDds

Today’s Bible Reading: Tuesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, October 8, 2024
Reading 1, Galatians 1:13-24
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 139:1-3, 13-14, 14-15
Gospel, Luke 10:38-42

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF GOOD REMEDY | MEMORIAL OF SAINT PELAGIA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR; SAINT PELAGIA, HERMITESS; SAINTS MARCELLUS AND APULEIUS; SAINTS SERGIUS AND BACCHUS, MARTYRS; SAINT HUGH OF CANEFRO, RELIGIOUS AND BLESSED AMBROSE OF SIENA, RELIGIOUS ~ FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 8TH: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Good Remedy and Memorial of Saint Pelagia, Virgin; and Martyr; Saint Pelagia, Hermitess; Saints Marcellus and Apuleius and Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Martyrs; Saint Hugh of Canefro, Religious and Blessed Ambrose of Siena, Religious. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of Good Remedy and the Saints on this feast day, 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 GOOD REMEDY: Historically today is the feast of Our Lady of Good Remedy. Our Lady has been honored under this title since the founding of the Trinitarian Order by St. John of Matha in the twelfth century, and it seems that St. Maximilian Kolbe speaks of Our Lady in a similar fashion, in particular, in the quote, as the Good Mother who provides a Good Remedy.

In 1519 Cortez brought with him a famous little statue to participate in the conquest of Mexico. The statue was first set up in a temporary chapel in one of the rooms of Montezuma’s palace where the Spanish officers made their devotions. On the terrible night when the Indians rose against the Spanish conquerors, the Night of Sorrows, one of the officers rescued the statue before fighting his way out of the palace. He did not get far when he was cut down by Aztec arrows and died at the foot of a Maguey tree. The tiny statue was either pushed or fell into the roots of the tree where it was overlooked by the Indians. Some twenty years later, an Aztec convert, Prince John the Eagle, was walking near the tree when he heard a sweet voice calling him. Puzzled, he went to the nearby mission of the Franciscan Fathers and told them about it. They thought it was his imagination. Some days later John met with an accident, a large pillar of a church under construction fell on him. Badly crushed, he was given the Last Sacraments. During the night when he was thought to be dying, the memory of the sweet voice kept returning to him. He prayed to Our Lady to help him. Very early in the morning the Virgin Mary appeared to him and gave him a sash to wear which cured him. A few days later he passed the tree again, and heard the sweet voice; curiously, he looked carefully around the roots of the tree; half buried in the sand, he found the tiny statue of Our Lady. The Aztec convert thought he should do something about it. “Come home with me, gracious Lady,” he said, “I will see that you have a good home and are cared for.” He brought the little statue home wrapped in his cape and placed it on a rough altar. Here Mary reigned as queen in the humble home for ten or twelve years. John kept the little shrine supplied with flowers, and occasionally with fruit and pretty stones. Gradually people came to pray at the shrine, their number increasing so that they were underfoot day and night. John took up the local schoolmaster’s suggestion to build a little chapel. He set about building a shrine and enthroned Mary, Our Lady of Good Remedy, there.

Eight hundred (800) years ago Christians were being captured and sold into slavery by the thousands, and nobody knew what to do about it. Then, in the year 1198, a man had an idea. St. John of Matha founded the Trinitarians to go to the slave markets, buy the Christian slaves and set them free. To carry out this plan, the Trinitarians needed large amounts of money. So, they placed their fund-raising efforts under the patronage of Mary. They were so successful at that, over the centuries, the Trinitarians were able to free thousands and thousands of people and to return them safely home. In gratitude for her miraculous assistance, St. John of Matha honored Mary with the title of ‘Our Lady of Good Remedy. ‘ Devotion to Mary under this ancient title is widely known in Europe and Latin America, and the Church celebrates her feast day on October 8. Our Lady of Good Remedy is often depicted as the Virgin Mary handing a bag of money to St. John of Matha. When in need – for whatever reason, but especially where you have had difficulty obtaining help – invoke the aid of Our Lady of Good Remedy, and you will surely experience the power of her intercession.

NOVENA PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF GOOD REMEDY: Devotion to Our Lady of Good Remedy is particularly recommended to anyone who is “enslaved” in any kind of darkness, such as poverty, chronic illness, disability, abusive relationships, or mental illness. It is also recommended to those who are caught in desperate situations of many different kinds: distress, hardship, fear, anger, confusion, spiritual dryness, and/or any other form of darkness that one feels enslaved to.

O QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, Most Holy Virgin, we venerate thee. Thou art the beloved Daughter of the Most High God, the chosen Mother of the Incarnate Word, the Immaculate Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and the Sacred Vessel of the Most Holy Trinity. O Mother of the Divine Redeemer, who under the title of Our Lady of Good Remedy, comes to the aid of all who call upon thee, extend thy maternal protection to us. We depend on thee, Dear Mother, as helpless and needy children depend on a tender and caring mother. Hail Mary… 
 
O LADY OF GOOD REMEDY, source of unfailing help, grant that we may draw from thy treasury of graces in our time of need. Touch the hearts of sinners, that they may seek reconciliation and forgiveness. Bring comfort to the afflicted and the lonely; help the poor and the hopeless; aid the sick and the suffering. May they be healed in body and strengthened in spirit to endure their sufferings with patient resignation and Christian fortitude. Hail Mary… 
 
DEAR LADY OF GOOD REMEDY, source of unfailing help, thy compassionate heart knows a remedy for every affliction and misery we encounter in life. Help me with thy prayers and intercession to find a remedy for my problems and needs, especially for… (Mention your intentions here). On my part, O loving Mother,  I pledge myself to a more intensely Christian lifestyle, to a more careful observance of the laws of God, to be more conscientious in fulfilling the obligations of my state in life, and to strive to be a source of healing in this broken world of ours. Hail Mary… 
 
Dear Lady of Good Remedy, be ever present to me, and through thy intercession, may I enjoy health of body and peace of mind, and grow stronger in the faith and in the love of thy Son, Jesus. Hail Mary… 
V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of Good Remedy,
R. That we may deepen our dedication to thy Son, and make the world alive with His Spirit.

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 siiiought 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.🙏

Our Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of Good Remedy ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT PELAGIA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Pelagia, distinguished as Pelagia of Antioch and Pelagia the Virgin, was a devout Christian, a tender virgin who lived in Antioch at the end of the 3rd century and the beginning of the 4th. About the year 302, when she was only fifteen, the local persecutor of the Church during the Diocletian persecutions learned of her Christian faith and sent a group of soldiers to bring her to him for examination. Despite her tender years, St. Pelagia was well aware of the outrages to which Christ’s virgins were subjected in such cases. Therefore, when the soldiers reached her home, she declared that she had to put on her bravest apparel and excused herself from the room. Rather than be forced by Roman soldiers to offer a public sacrifice to the pagan gods or to do “something unspeakable (for she was a virgin), she leapt to her death from a roof top. Being alone in the house, and understanding that their errand was to carry her before the judge, where her chastity might be in danger, she desired leave of the soldiers to go up stairs and dress herself. But fearing to be an innocent occasion to others’ sin, instead, she swiftly made her way to the roof of her house and flung herself headlong to the ground below in order to preserve her richest prize—the virginity she had vowed to Jesus. She died on the spot by her fall: in which action, says St. Chrysostom, she had Jesus in her breast inspiring and exhorting her. She probably hoped to escape by that means; and might lawfully expose her life to some danger for the preservation of her chastity; but nothing will ever make it lawful for any one directly to procure his own death. The learned and saintly Doctors, St. Ambrose and St. John Chrysostom, both knew of her action and both concurred that it was a noble example of love of chastity. She is thus classified as a Virgin and Martyr by the Church.

PRAYER: All-powerful and ever-living God, You choose the weak in this world to confound the powerful. As we celebrate the martyrdom of St. Pelagia, may we like her remain constant in faith. Amen 🙏
 
SAINT PELAGIA, HERMITESS:
St. Pelagia (Latin form Marina) distinguished as Pelagia of Antioch, Pelagia the Penitent, and Pelagia the Harlot, was a Christian saint and hermit in the 4th or 5th century and was originally known as “Margarita.” She was a public sinner of Antioch in Syria, and repented of her evil life. After her baptism she retired to Jerusalem, and passed the remainder of her life in the practice of penance in a cave on Mount Olivet. St. Pelagia was head of a dance troupe in Palestinian Antioch and lived a life of frivolity and prostitution. One day while she was still a dancer, Margarita was passing by a church dressed in her very elegant and provocative clothing. Bishop Nonnus of Edessa was preaching at that moment. Even though the parishioners turned their faces away from the sinner, the Bishop noticed her great outer beauty and spiritual greatness. Later that day, he prayed in his cell for the sinner and learned that as she took care of the adornment of her body to appear beautiful, he and his fellow priests should put more work into adorning their wretched souls. The following day Pelagia went to hear St. Nonnus preach. He was talking about the Last Judgement and its consequences. She was so moved and impressed with the sermon, that with tears of repentance in her eyes, she asked the Bishop to baptize her. Seeing the sincerity of her wishes and repentance, he agreed. Nonnus took her confession and baptized “Margarita” under her birth name Pelagia.

That same night the devil appeared to Pelagia urging her to return to her former life. She started praying and signed herself with the Sign of the Cross, after which the devil vanished. She gave all her wealth and valuables to St. Nonnus so that he could distribute them and give them to aid the poor. The bishop ordered their distribution and said: “Let this be wisely dispersed, so that these riches gained by sin may become a wealth of righteousness.” She left Antioch dressed in man’s clothes. After that, she journeyed to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, where she became a hermitess and lived in a cell disguised as the monk Pelagius. There she lived in great austerity, performing many penances in ascetic seclusion which helped her attain many spiritual gifts. At her death, she was buried in her cell. She was known as “the beardless monk” until her sex was discovered when she died.

St. Pelagia, Hermitess ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINTS MARCELLUS AND APULEIUS, MARTYRS; SAINTS SERGIUS AND BACCHUS, MARTYRS: Commemoration (1954 Calendar): October 7; Commemoration (1962 Calendar): October 8]: In addition to the great celebration of Our Lady of the Rosary, includes Commemoration of Ss. Sergius and Bacchus and Ss. Marcellus and Apuleius. The 1960 Breviary moved the Commemoration of these holy martyrs to October 8th due to a rubric change made in 1960 that allows only one commemoration on days of the II class.

SAINTS MARCELLUS AND APULEIUS, MARTYRS: Sts. Marcellus and Apuleius were third- or fourth-century martyrs who were inserted in the General Roman Calendar in the 13th century. They were recognized as saints by the Catholic Church, with 7 October as their feast day. At Rome, the holy martyrs Marcellus and Apuleius, who at first were followers of Simon Magus (Simon the Magician), but seeing the wonders performed through the Apostle Peter, they abandoned Simon and embraced the apostolic doctrine. After the death of the apostles, under the proconsul Aurelian, they won the crown of martyrdom and were buried near the City of Rome. They are said to have been converted to Christianity by the miracles of St. Peter. According to the “Martyrologium Romanum” they suffered martyrdom soon after the deaths of Sts. Peter and Paul and were buried near Rome. Their existing Acts are not genuine and agree to a great extent with those of Sts. Nereus and Achilleus. The veneration of the two saints is very old. A mass is assigned to them in the “Sacramentarium” of Pope Gelasius.

SAINTS SERGIUS AND BACCHUS, MARTYRS: In lower Syria, the holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, noble Romans, lived under the Emperor Maximian. They were officers of troops on the frontier, Sergius being primicerius, and Bacchus secundarius. According to the legend, there were high in esteem of the Caesar Maximianus on account of their bravery, but this favour was turned into hate when they acknowledged their Christian faith. When examined under torture they were beaten so severely with thongs that Bacchus died under the blows. Bacchus was scourged with thongs that tore his flesh; he died in his torments confessing the name of Jesus. Sergius, though, had much more suffering to endure; among other tortures, as the legend relates, he was forced to wear and run eighteen miles in shoes which were covered on the soles with sharp-pointed nails that pierced through his feet, he remained firm in the faith and was finally beheaded. The burial-place of Sergius and Bacchus was pointed out in the city of Resaph; in honour of Sergius the Emperor Justinian also built churches in honour of Sergius at Constantinople and Acre; the one at Constantinople, now a mosque, is a great work of Byzantine art. In the East, Sergius and Bacchus were universally honoured.

PRAYER: May the blessed deeds of Thy holy martyrs Sergius, Bacchus, Marcellus, and Apuleius plead for us, O Lord, and may they make us ever burn with love for Thee…. Amen🙏

SAINT HUGH OF CANEFRO, RELIGIOUS: St. Hugh of Canefro (1148-1233), also known as Hugh of Genoa, Hugh of Canefri, Hugo, Ugo—Religious of the Order of Malta, Apostle of Charity, Miracle-Worker—born in 1148 at Alessandria, Italy. St. Hugh of Canefro was Chaplain of the Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. He was an excellent administrator of the Commandery of Genoa, serving the poor with great humility and kindness. He is credited with many miracles: the rescue of a sinking ship like the source that allows the washerwomen of a hospital to wash the laundry of the poor. This fountain still exists and people come here on pilgrimage. St. Hugh became a knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (also known as the Order of Saint John, Order of Hospitallers, Knights Hospitaller, is a medieval Catholic military order. It was headquartered in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, on the island of Rhodes, in Malta, and St Petersburg.) After lengthy campaigning in the Holy Land, he was elected Master of the Commandery of St. John di Prè in Genoa (Italy) and worked in the infirmary nearby. He was renowned for miraculous powers over the natural elements. St. Hugh is one of the most highly venerated saints of the Order. He was the Commander at Genoa and administered his Hospital in the best of fashions. That did not keep him from being an edifying, religious “exercising religion toward God and his neighbors.” It is well known how much sacrifice and devotion that phrase can contain.

According to the portrait that Grandmaster Cardinal Fra Hugh de Loubenx Verdala gave the Order, an authentic portrait made while the saint was still alive, we know that the latter was thin, with an ascetic face and small in stature. But he was quite comely and amiable toward all. His mortification was not onerous for others. He slept on a board, in a corner of the basement of the Hospital, he served the poor with love and tact, giving them food, money, spiritual comfort, and brotherly love. He washed their feet. He took care of them and when they died, he buried them. The eight-pointed cross was not only on his cloak—he wore it in his heart. So great was his zeal that he girded himself with an iron belt placed next to his body. He fasted the whole year round, eating nothing which had been cooked, during Lent. On one of those sultry Italian days, when the sun crushes nature with burning heat, some women were in the common room of the infirmary washing the linen of the sick. The water supply failed, for the fountain of the monastery had dried up. They were dismayed, therefore, at having to fetch the water necessary for their task from a great distance. They complained among themselves discreetly—that is, with great outcries—so that the saint heard them and came to them to inquire about the cause of their complaints. Seeing him, they begged him to give them water and, as he declined, they cried: “What? You wouldn’t be able to get any from God?” “We must pray.” “Oh! that’s all we do. Hear us.” “I am not the Lord, He said that faith makes miracles. Have you faith?” They insisted; he resisted. They wept, saying that they would die of exhaustion because of the work and the heat. He hardly believed that but through charity, after having invoked the Master of Nature, the saint made the sign of the cross and the waters gushed from the rock of the fountain to the astonished cries of the servants. St. Hugh of Canefro died on October 8, 1233 in Genoa, Italy of natural causes.

St. Hugh of Canefro, Religious ~ Pray for us 🙏

BLESSED AMBROSE OF SIENA, RELIGIOUS: Blessed Ambrose (1220-1286) was an Italian Dominican teacher, missionary and diplomat. When he was around a year old, Bl. Ambrose was cured of a congenital deformity, in the Dominican church of St. Mary Magdalene. Bl. Ambrose was born on April 16, 1220 in Siena, Italy, the son of a book illuminator. He was born so severely deformed that his parents could not bear the sight of him. They put their son in the care of a nurse who took the child with her to daily Mass at the Dominican church. The child, often fussy, would become calm when he was placed near the altar of relics, and would cry when he was removed. While praying at the altar, the nurse would conceal the child’s hideous face with a scarf. This practice continued for a year. One day a pilgrim told the nurse to remove the baby’s scarf and prophesied that the child would one day become a great man. A few days later, before the same altar, the child Ambrose stretched out his deformed limbs and pronounced the name of Jesus; from that moment he was miraculously healed into a beautiful and perfectly formed child. As a child and youth he was noted for his love of charity, exercised especially towards pilgrims, the sick in hospitals, and prisoners. Blessed Ambrose grew in piety and was determined to become a Dominican friar. His family and friends opposed his plan and attempted to dissuade such a handsome and talented youth from becoming a poor friar. Bl. Ambrose overcame these obstacles and joined the novitiate of the Dominican convent in his native city at the age of seventeen, was sent to Paris to continue his philosophical and theological studies under St. Albert the Great and had for a fellow-student there, Thomas Aquinas and went on to become a preacher, teacher, missionary, diplomat, and peace-broker. His skills with diplomacy earned him the respect of kings and popes alike.

In 1248 he was sent with St. Thomas Aquinas to Cologne, where he taught in the Dominican schools. In 1260 he was one of the band of missionaries who evangelized Hungary. Six years later Sienna was put under an interdict for having espoused the cause of the Emperor Frederick II, then at enmity with the Holy See. The Siennese petitioned Bl. Ambrose to plead their cause before the Sovereign Pontiff, and so successfully did he do this that he obtained for his native city full pardon and a renewal of all her privileges. The Siennese soon cast off their allegiance; a second time Ambrose obtained pardon for them. He brought about a reconciliation between King Conradin of Germany and Pope Clement IV. Around this time he was chosen bishop of his native city, but he declined the office. For a time, he devoted himself to preaching the Eighth Crusade; and later, at the request of Pope Gregory X, caused the studies which the late wars had practically suspended to be resumed in the Dominican convent at Rome. After the death of Pope Gregory X, he retired to one of the convents of his order, whence he was summoned by Innocent V and sent as papal legate to Tuscany. Blessed Ambrose restored peace there between Florence and Pisa and also between the dogal republics of Venice and Genoa, another pair of commercial rivals within Italy. Bl. Ambrose died at Sienna, Italy in 1286. His name was inserted in the Roman Martyrology in 1577. His biographers exhibit his life as one of perfect humility. He loved poetry. He was a renowned preacher. His oratory, simple rather than elegant, was most convincing and effective. His sermons, although once collected, are not extant. Bl. Ambrose’s feast day is October 8th.

Blessed Ambrose of Siena, Religious ~ Pray for us 🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100824.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 10:38-42

“Martha welcomed him into her house. Mary has chosen the better part”

“Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is offered hospitality by two women, Martha and her sister Mary. They each showed their hospitality to Jesus in different ways. Martha’s hospitality took the form of an anxious and fretful activity. Mary’s hospitality consisted in sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to him speaking. On this occasion, Jesus saw a greater value in the form of hospitality that Mary showed. Although Martha was highly critical of Mary to Jesus, ‘Please tell her to help me’, Jesus recognized that Martha had something to learn from Mary. Perhaps one of the ways of hearing this story is that we often have something to learn from those we criticize. Jesus had something to say and Mary listened to Him. Whereas Martha criticized her sister for being lazy, Jesus recognized her as a good listener. Jesus suggested to Martha that in allowing herself to worry unduly about many things she was missing something very important, finding the space to allow the word of Jesus to enter her heart. Martha needed to become more like Mary, more child-like in receiving what Jesus had to offer. Today’s Gospel reading invites us to ask if we are allowing the worries and cares of life to choke the seed of the Lord’s word that has been sown within us. There are times in life when we serve the Lord best by receiving from Him, so that we can then give to others from what we have received. We are called to offer love to one another, just as Jesus is portrayed as offering people the hospitable love of God.

In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the region of Galatia in what is now part of Turkey, where the Apostle spoke of the history of how he was called by God to be His Apostle, his experiences and journey of faith as one of the missionaries and disciples of the Lord. St. Paul spoke openly to the faithful in Galatia about his calling by the Lord, on how earlier on he was a notable and rather infamous enemy of the Lord and the Church because of his misguided zeal and efforts as a young Pharisee to oppose the Lord and His works, persecuting and oppressing the early Christians at that time. St. Paul shared that to the faithful in Galatia to warn them against being swayed by the false guidance and leads in life, to focus themselves and their attention towards the Lord and to His teachings and words as delivered to them by the Apostles and disciples of the Lord, and not to be tempted by the many falsehoods and false guidance in life, or be swayed by the worldly ambitions, desires and all the false paths that the evil ones have always been tempting us with, trying to lead us into our downfall and destruction. They kept on tempting and swaying us through the many methods and means by trying to cause us to lose our focus and attention on the Lord, and instead we end up falling into the slippery slope towards sin and darkness.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded that we are all called to follow the Lord and to put our focus and attention towards Him, and we should not allow ourselves to be easily tempted and swayed by the many temptations present all around us, be it things that may tempt us through worldly glory, fame, pleasures and all the attachments to worldly matters and comforts, as well as our own pride, ego, desires and all the other obstacles that may manifest themselves in the path that we are all taking in our journey towards the Lord our God and His salvation. All of us as Christians are reminded of this fact as we continue to live our lives faithfully in the Lord’s Presence in each and every days of our lives. Let us all therefore carefully ponder on all these and consider how we all can live our lives as better Christians from now on, so that as better and more committed people of God, as His beloved ones and holy people, we may continue to grow ever more in faith and love for His ways, for His teachings, His Law and commandments, while resisting the many temptations and all the worldly attachments and desires around us which may distract us from being able to truly commit ourselves to His cause and following Him with all of our hearts and might. May the Lord continue to strengthen our faith in Him and may He continue to empower each and every one of us so that by our exemplary faith we may inspire many others to follow in our footsteps and draw ever closer to the Lord, and distancing ourselves from all the temptations and obstacles that had prevented us from coming close to Him. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, in all of our actions, words and deeds, now and always. Amen 🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER:

MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY: The Catholic Church designates and dedicate October as the Month of the Holy Rosary. During this month the faithful venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary especially under her title of Our Lady of the Rosary, and make special effort to honor the Holy Rosary with group recitations and rosary processions. The Lady of the Rosary honors a large battle between the Catholic Church and the Muslim caliphate of the Ottoman Empire. This battle, in the Gulf of Patras, near Greece, took place in the 16th century, on October 7, 1571. St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers, is the Saint to whom Our Lady famously appeared and gave the prayers of the Holy Rosary to assist him as a spiritual weapon in combating heresy and leading souls back to the one, true Catholic faith. Our Blessed Mother Mary ~ Pray for us 🙏

THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY: Until about the 15th century hundreds of mysteries were part of the Rosary devotion then the 15 mysteries that we know today were definitively fixed as “the Mysteries of the Rosary.” Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in 2002 added the five Luminous Mysteries.

Through the meditations of the complete Rosary one recalls and has impressed on his mind, the Popes tell us, “the chief mysteries of the Christian religion,” “the mysteries of our Redemption,” “the great mysteries of Jesus and His Mother united in joys, sorrows, and triumphs.” The twenty mysteries are divided into four equal groups, known as “The Joyful,” “The Sorrowful,” “The Glorious,” and “The Luminous Mysteries.”

PRAYER OF ST. LOUISE DE MONTFORT: O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your might, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Subdue every hostile power, the devil, the world and the flesh, in the strength of Your Spirit, for the glory of Your Father, Amen 🙏🏽

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER – FOR A SHARED MISSION: We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen 🙏🏾

During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏

Let us pray:

My inviting Lord, I do believe that adoration of You in silent and devout prayer is the most important duty I have to fulfill every day. May I never be deterred from adoring You every day, devoting as much time as You desire to silent and loving prayer. May I discover this gift of prayer, dear Lord, and sit at Your feet with Mary and with all the glorious saints. 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 Good Remedy and Saint Pelagia, Virgin; and Martyr; Saint Pelagia, Hermitess; Saints Marcellus and Apuleius and Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Martyrs; Saint Hugh of Canefro and Blessed Ambrose of Siena ~ 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💖

Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com

Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org

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

TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 7, 2024

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY

MEMORIAL OF SAINT JUSTINA OF PADUA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR:

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💖

TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 6, 2024

Greetings and blessings, beloved family. Happy Sunday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time!

On this special day, please keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers as I celebrate my birthday today, thank you and God bless!

Today, 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 🙏

We continue to 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🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | October 6, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 6, 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 6, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 6, 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: Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) | October 6, 2024
Reading 1, Genesis 2:18-24
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
Reading 2, Hebrews 2:9-11
Gospel, Mark 10:2-16

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 10:2–16

“Therefore what God has joined together, let no human being separate”

“The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” They replied, “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus presents his ideal, God’s ideal, for marriage. His teaching went against the grain in the Jewish world of His time. The Jewish law made provision for divorce. The only issue of debate among the religious leaders was the grounds for divorce. One school of rabbis favoured very lenient grounds; another school insisted on much stricter grounds. According to the Jewish law it was only the man who could initiate divorce proceedings, whatever the grounds. The woman was not free to do the same. The divorce laws gave a freedom to men that it did not give to women, and it left women very vulnerable to being cut adrift by their husbands. The writ of divorce that the husband had to put into his wife’s hand gave her only limited protection, enabling her to marry again. In that context, Jesus’ teaching was intended to protect women. It reminded men in particular of their obligation to love their wives, to honour their wives as they would their own body, rather than seeing her almost as a piece of property that they could dispose of when it suited them. Jesus went back beyond what the Jewish law had come to allow to God’s original intention as expressed in the Book of Genesis, according to which husband and wife are to become one body, one loving union.

There is a wonderful vision of marriage developed St Paul he developed it when he stated that the union between a husband and wife is a reflection of the union between Christ and his church and that husbands are to love their wives, and wives their husbands, as Christ loves the church. Those who come to the church to be married are drawn by this vision of Jesus for marriage. It is not by accident that one of the most frequently chosen readings for the wedding liturgy is that of Paul’s great hymn to love in 1 Corinthians 13: ‘Love is patient, love is kind…’ Here indeed is Jesus’ ideal for married love, the spelling out of what it means to live as one body. Yet, we are all aware that the gap between that ideal and the real can be very great, in marriage as much as in other areas of life. Marriages do break down, sometimes irretrievably so. Jesus must have been very aware of this. His attitude towards those who were not living according to his ideal for marriage was always characterized by sensitivity and respect. The way the gospels show him relating to the Samaritan woman and to the women caught in the act of adultery shows this.Jesus it seems could present the ideal clearly and at the same time make allowances for the reality of people’s lives which often fell far short of the ideal. There is a message here for all of us, not just in relation to marriage but in relation to other areas of life. We need ideals and values that will stretch us, that will put before us a way that does justice to what is best in us, to what we are capable of, with God’s help. We will find such ideals and values in the message and life of Jesus. However, we also need an assurance that when we fail to live out these values, for whatever reason, we remain graced people who are loved by God and continue to be called into communion with God’s Son. We will find such an assurance too in the message and life of Jesus.

We know from our own experience that that not all marriages reflect the ideal that Jesus places before us in today’s Gospel reading. Many of us will have relatives whose marriages have not lasted. The Gospels are clear that although Jesus presented a certain vision for human relationships, including within marriage, he did not condemn those who feel short of that vision. All of us, married or single, are called to love one another as the Lord has loved us, and we all fail in our response to that call. It is in those moments of weakness and failure that the second part of today’s Gospel reading has most to say to us, ‘anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it’. We stand before the Lord with a child-like heart, in our weakness and vulnerability, open and receptive to the great gift of the Lord’s love that is given to us unconditionally. It is that gift which empowers us to keep reaching towards the goal, the ideal, the Jesus puts before us all.

In our first reading this Sunday from the Book of Genesis, we heard of the account of the moment after the time when God created the first Man, Adam, in His own image, and saw that it is not good for man to be alone, just as the Lord Himself was not alone, but existing as always in the perfect unity of Three Divine Persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the belief that we have in the Holy Trinity, of the Oneness of God Who exists in the Three Divine Persons, sharing perfectly the indivisible unity of love because God is indeed Love, with the love that is shared by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit overflows to all of us mankind and to all of His Creation. He has no need for any one of us or for Creation, and yet, He created us all because He desired to share this love with us all. That was why He created us in the first place, and in order to share in this unity, He also therefore created us man and woman, so that we may have one another and may share in the union between us, a union of love through which we may procreate and form new life, through the sacred union between man and woman that God had decreed, and He had also made woman from the parts of man, in order to show that through the union of man and woman, therefore we are made whole by this sacred union, which we describe as marriage, or holy matrimony. This sacred union is one that is blessed by God and mandated by Him for all of us to procreate and to inherit the whole world, all that God had created for each and every one of us. And ideally, through this loving union with one another, and with God Himself, all of us should have existed in harmony and peace. But, because we disobeyed God, we fell into sin and were removed from the state of grace, hence, suffering in this world.

In our second reading this Sunday from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author of this Epistle shared with all of us that despite this fate we are facing, our sufferings due to our rebellions and sins, God still loved us all nonetheless, and from the very beginning, He had wanted to redeem us all and bring us to His loving Presence once again, and He did all these by sending unto us His messengers and prophets, proclaiming His salvation which He would indeed fulfil through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Through Christ, all of us have seen the Lord’s love manifested in the flesh, as He assumed our own human existence, our flesh and human nature, becoming tangible, real and approachable for us to come towards and touch, and through His loving Presence, all of us are reminded of how beloved we all have been by God, at all times. As the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews shared with us that the Lord Jesus came to us to share with us His love, the love of God that is ever generous and compassionate, reaching out to us all, even to the most marginalised and to everyone who had been separated from Him and kept apart from His love by our sins. By His most loving and selfless sacrifice on the Cross, Our Lord Himself has opened for us the gates of Heaven and showed us the path to eternal life, true happiness and fullness of glory with Him, to regain for ourselves what we have always been intended to experience, that is not the sufferings due to our sins, but the pure bliss and happiness, the sharing in the fullness of God’s love and grace as He has always intended for us before we fell into sin and darkness.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures this Sunday, we are all reminded of everything that God had done for us, in His creation of us mankind, whom He has created lovingly in His own image, meant to share the fullness of His glory and majesty, His joy and happiness through all that He had made in this world. He has always desired that we live together in harmony and happiness, joy and satisfaction, to enjoy forever the fullness of His love and grace, and to be truly blessed and wonderful in all things. However, our disobedience against Him and our surrender to the many temptations and allures of worldly pleasures all around us had led us down into this path of darkness and downfall, which led us to wander in this world and suffer the consequences of our disobedience and lack of faith. Through what we have heard in this Sunday’s Scripture passages, let us all therefore remind ourselves first of all of God’s most generous love and kindness, His compassionate love and mercy, and all that He has reassured and promised us all. And as part of God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, as His beloved and holy people, let us always uphold the sacred institution of marriage, the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, the foundation of our holy and devout families, which themselves are the foundations and pillars of support for the Church of God. As long as our families are united in God and blessed by Him, and as long as each one of us as members of God’s holy and devout families continue to worship the Lord together and put Him as the centre and focus of our families, the Church will always be strong against all the attacks from the evil ones. May the Lord, our ever loving God, Father and Creator continue to be with us all and bless each and every one of us in our journey of faith. May He continue to strengthen us all in faith, and allow us all to follow Him ever more faithfully and worthily in each and every moments of our lives, now and forevermore. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace as we grow ever more faithful and courageous in proclaiming the Good News of God in all of every moments of our lives, now and always. Amen🙏🏽

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT BRUNO, PRIEST AND BLESSED MARIE ROSE DUROCHER, VIRGIN ~ FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 6, 2024: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Bruno, Priest and Blessed Marie Rose Durocher, Virgin. 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 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🙏

SAINT BRUNO, PRIEST: St. Bruno of Cologne (1030-1101) was born to a noble and prominent family in Cologne, Germany in about 1030. He was the founder of the Carthusian order of monks who remain notable for their strictly traditional and austere rule of contemplative life. His mother was St. Matilda, patroness of Maude, widow of King Henry I. Excepting St. Norbert, he is the only German having that honor. His contemporaries called him the light of the Church, the flower of the clergy, the glory of Germany and France.
Early in life he was a canon at Cologne and Rheims. He was well educated and excelled in his studies, and became a priest around the year 1055. Returning to Reims the following year, he soon became head of the school he had attended there, after its director Heriman left to enter consecrated religious life in 1057. He directed and taught at the episcopal school at Reims for many years, nearly two decades earning a reputation as a learned scholar and acquiring an excellent reputation as a philosopher and theologian, until he was named chancellor of the local diocese in 1075. After also serving as the chancellor of his archdiocese, he and a few companions left their positions in the diocese in order to follow a path of greater religious observance. He decided to leave the world and pursue a life of complete solitude and prayer. The persecution by the simoniacal archbishop of Rheims, Manasses, hastened his resolve to enter a life of solitude (1084). He settled in the Chartreuse Mountains in France with a small group of scholars who, like himself, desired to become contemplative monks. This was the beginning of the Carthusian order founded by St. Bruno, combining the solitary life of hermits with the conventual life of religious observance. Legend puts it this way. A famous professor had died. While the Office of the Dead was being chanted at his funeral, he suddenly raised himself up from the coffin and said: “By the just judgment of God have I been accused, judged, damned.” Thereupon Bruno renounced the world. He received from Hugo, bishop of Grenoble, a site called Chartreuse (from the color of the surrounding hills) as a place of residence.

In 1088, one of Bruno’s former students was elected as Pope Urban II. Six years into his life as an alpine monk, Bruno was called to leave his remote monastery to assist the Pope in his struggle against a rival papal claimant as well as the hostile Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. St. Bruno served as a close adviser to the Pope during a critical period of reform. Around this time, he also rejected another chance to become a bishop, this time in the Italian region of Calabria. While he obtained the Pope’s permission to return to monastic life, Bruno was required to remain in Italy to help the Pope periodically, rather than returning to his monastery in France. During the 1090s Bruno befriended Count Roger of Sicily and Calabria, who granted land to his group of monks and enabled the founding of a major monastery in 1095. The monks were known, then as now, for their strict practice of asceticism, poverty, and prayer; and for their unique organizational form, combining the solitary life of hermits with the collective life of more conventional monks. The Order founded by Bruno is one of the strictest in the Church. These alpine monks embraced a strictly disciplined life of poverty, labor, prayer, and fasting.  Carthusians follow the Rule of St. Benedict, but accord it a most austere interpretation; there is perpetual silence and complete abstinence from flesh meat (only bread, legumes, and water are taken for nourishment). Bruno sought to revive the ancient eremitical way of life. His Order enjoys the distinction of never becoming unfaithful to the spirit of its founder, never needing a reform. Six years after initiating the foundation, Bruno was called to Rome by Pope Urban II as personal counselor to assist with the troubles and controversies rocking the Church. He complied with a heavy heart. St. Bruno became a close advisor to the Pope and was allowed to return to monastic life only if he remained nearby within Italy. However, when the Pope was forced to flee to Campania because of Emperor Henry IV, St. Bruno found a wilderness similar to that of Chartreuse at La Torre; there he made a second foundation in 1095, which blossomed into a flourishing community. Here in September, 1101, he became severely ill. Having called together his followers, St. Bruno made a public confession and died on October 6, 1101, at the age of seventy-one. He’s the Patron Saint of diabolic possession; Ruthenia. Veneration of St. Bruno was given formal approval in 1514, and extended throughout the Latin Rite in 1623. More recently, his Carthusian Order was the subject of the 2006 documentary film “Into Great Silence,” chronicling the life of monks in the Grand Chartreuse monastery. His feast day is celebrated on October 6th.

QUOTES OF SAINT BRUNO
☆”By your work you show what you love and what you know.”
☆”The cross is steady while the world is turning.” “While the world changes, the cross stands firm.”
☆”For when the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through places without water, seeking rest; and not finding. . .”
☆”For the devil may tempt the good, but he cannot find rest in them; for he is shaken violently, and upset, and driven out, now by their prayers, now by their tears of repentance, and now by their almsgiving and similar good works.”

PRAYER: God, You called St. Bruno to serve You in solitude. Through his intercession, grant that amidst the many affairs of this world we may always have time for You. Amen 🙏

BLESSED MARIE ROSE DUROCHER, VIRGIN: Bl. Marie Rose (1811-1849) was born Eulalie Durocher on October 6, 1811 at St. Antoine in Quebec, Canada. She was the tenth of eleven children. She was drawn to the religious life, but turned away because of her frail health. After her education at the hands of the Sisters of Notre Dame, for 12 years she assisted her brother, a parish priest, as a housekeeper and in the process established the first Canadian parish Sodality for young women. She lived a life of great poverty and remained unswerving in her concern for the poor.

In 1843, the she was invited and encouraged by Bishop Bourget to found a new congregation of women dedicated to Christian education. Accordingly she founded the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary and took the religious name Marie Rose. Her religious order was dedicated to Christian education, especially for the poor. Under her saintly and wise leadership, her community flourished in spite of all kinds of obstacles, including great poverty and unavoidable misunderstandings. She remained unswerving in her concern for the poor. Worn out by her many labors, Marie Rose was called to her heavenly reward on October 6, 1849, at the age of 38, died of natural causes. This Order first came to the U.S. in 1859. Bl. Marie-Rose was beatified and declared Blessed on May 23, 1982 by Pope John Paul II. She’s the Patron Saint of bodily ills; loss of parents; illness; frail health.

QUOTES OF BLESSED MARIE ROSE DUROCHER
☆”Let us pray, let us suffer and let us trust”
☆”To a novice leaving religious life, Marie-Rose said: “Do not imitate those persons who, after having spent a few months as postulant or novice in a community, dress differently, even ludicrously. You are returning to the secular state. My advice is, follow the styles of the day, but from afar, as it were.”

PRAYER: O Lord, You enkindled in the heart of Blessed Marie Rose Durocher the flame of an ardent charity and a burning desire to collaborate, as a teacher, in the mission of the Church. Inspire our hearts with that same charity so that we may lead our brothers and sisters to the bliss of eternal life. 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:

Lord of the Covenant, Your love is perfect. It is pure, it is selfless, self-giving, total and irrevocable. Please help me to love You with this same love so that I can share in the divine marriage covenant to which I am called. May this holy love also overflow into every relationship so that You will be the foundation of those holy bonds. 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 Bruno and Blessed Marie Rose Durocher ~ 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, and grace-filled Sunday and month of October 🙏🏽

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖