THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINT(S) OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ JANUARY 27, 2025
Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time!
We pray for God’s grace and mercy upon us through this Ordinary Time, and may the Lord grant us the grace to serve Him in spirit and in truth🙏
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN | January 27, 2025” |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | January 27, 2025 |
Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | January 27, 2025 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| January 27, 2025 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
Today’s Bible Readings: Monday January 27, 2025
Reading 1, Hebrews 9:15, 24-28
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6
Gospel, Mark 3:22-30
On this Feast day, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and all the Saints, we humbly pray and thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, our Savior Jesus Christ! For the safety and well-being of all our children and children all over the world. We pray for God’s guidance and protection upon them. We continue to pray for peace all around the world, particularly in the Middle East, Ukraine-Russia and other parts of the world. We pray for an end to the wars and conflicts, and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. For the gentle 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
“Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their abors for their good deeds go with them.” ~ Rev 14:13
PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏
PRAYER FOR THE VICTIMS OF WILDFIRES AND DISASTERS: We continue to pray for the victims of the current wildfires in the United States (Los Angeles, California) and victims of natural disasters across the world. We especially pray for those that have lost their lives and their families.
“Most Merciful God, Be “our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress” (Psalm 46:1). You created us and sustain us by Your almighty power. Your mercy knows no bounds. At this time of great suffering, we entrust all victims of the wildfires to You. Comfort them, fill them with Your grace, and provide for their needs. We entrust all who have died to Your merciful Heart. Cleanse them of their sins and welcome them into Your heavenly Kingdom. Give wisdom and prudence to those managing this disaster. Give courage and resolve to those on the front lines. Keep them safe and successful in their efforts. Command the winds and the flames to obey You, Lord, as You once calmed the stormy seas. Pour the water of Your grace upon these destructive fires. Stay them with Your powerful hand. Angels of God, come to the aid of those most in need of God’s mercy. Protect them, guide them, and reveal to them God’s holy will. St. Florian, patron of firefighters, pray for those bravely battling the flames. St. Michael the Archangel, defend them in their peril. Saints in Heaven, we beseech your prayer. Intercede for those most in need. From this tragedy and chaos, bring hope and peace. Turn sorrow into compassion. Turn confusion into faith. Turn despair into divine hope. We place all our trust in You, Most Merciful God, knowing that You will bring forth new life and healing from the ashes of this trial. May Your name be glorified now and forever. 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 🙏
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT ANGELA MERICI, VIRGIN – FEAST DAY ~ JANUARY 27TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Angela Merici, Virgin. Her dedication, great efforts and works had shown throughout her life inspiring many other women in their desire to follow the Lord and to show the path to many others towards God and His salvation. St. Angela is the Patron Saint of: Bodily ills; disabled people; handicapped people; illness; loss of parents; physically challenged people; sick people; sickness, courage, strength and determination.
SAINT ANGELA MERICI, VIRGIN: St Angela (1474 – 1540) was an Italian religious educator, born on March 21, 1474 at Desenzano on the shore of Lake Garda, Italy, Province of Brescia. Early in life she dedicated herself to Christ as His bride. Her parents died when she was ten, and soon afterwards she lost her sister with whom she was very close. St. Angela went to live with her uncle, and, despite lacking a formal education, she grew in wisdom and virtue. St. Angela was worried because her sister had died without receiving the last sacraments. She was consoled by a vision in which she saw her sister radiantly happy in the company of the Blessed Virgin and the other saints. In gratitude, Angela consecrated herself more completely to God. She committed herself to prayer, penance, and serving the poor, eventually joining the Third Order of St. Francis at the age of fifteen. When her uncle died she returned to her home, and, seeing a great need for the education of young girls in the Christian faith, began a school for girls in her house. She daily gathered all the little girls of her village and taught them the faith. St. Angela became known for her holiness, and soon she was invited to establish another school in a neighboring town.
St. Angela visited many shrines in Italy, but the great ambition of her life was to visit the Holy Land. St. Angela Merici was happy in 1524 when she was able to join a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The travelers stopped at Canea on the island of Crete. Here Angela suddenly became blind. She insisted on continuing the pilgrimage and visited the holy places with great devotion, “seeing” through the eyes of the others. She was happy to bear her cross along the way made holy by the cross of her Redeemer. On the return voyage the pilgrims again visited Crete. Angela suddenly recovered her sight at the very place where she had lost it. The year 1525 was a Holy Year, and Angela went to Rome to gain the special indulgences. She had an interview with Pope Clement VII who wished her to stay in Rome and do her work there. But Angela preferred to return to Brescia where she had established herself in two small rooms attached to the church of St. Afra, and the pope respected her wishes.
One day while in prayer she received a vision, in the vision God revealed to her that she would establish a “company” to promote the welfare of souls. That vision was realized when at Desenzano she established a school for the instruction of young girls and a second school at Brescia. She gathered around her twelve religious companions and founded the Order of Ursulines in 1535 at Brescia, under the protection and patronage of St. Ursula, the first teaching order for women approved by the Church. From this organisation later sprang the monastic Order of Ursulines, whose nuns established places of prayer and learning throughout Europe and, later, worldwide, most notably in North America. St. Angela was of a reflective bent and possibly the first to grasp the changed role of women in the society transformed by the Renaissance. She envisaged that those who joined her would remain in the world but devote themselves to every type of corporal and spiritual work of mercy, with special emphasis on education. However, St. Angela’s idea of education was very different from that of a convent school. She preferred to send her followers to teach girls in their own families. Through this she hoped to effect an improvement in social conditions. For it was her belief that “disorder in society is the result of disorder of the family.” Her idea of a religious order of women without distinctive habit and without solemn vows and enclosure was also in advance of her times—although her Order was obliged to adopt the canonical safeguards then required of all nuns. On November 25, 1535, the solemn canonical institution of the company of St. Ursula took place in the Oratory of the Piazza del Duomo. As a patron, St. Angela chose St. Ursula because ever since her martyrdom St. Ursula was regarded as the ideal type of Christian virginity.
St. Angela died on January 27, 1540 at the age of 65 at Brescia, Republic of Venice; her body remained incorrupt for thirty days. Remarkable phenomena occurred at her burial in the Church of St. Afra. In the year of Angela’s death in1540, it was estimated that at least half the town of Brescia was Lutheran of Calvinist. However, the schools of the Ursulines did their share in strengthening and extending Catholicism and in safeguarding Italy from what is now termed “modern unbelief.” She was Beatified on April 30, 1768, Rome, Papal States by Pope Clement XIII and Canonized on May 24, 1807, Rome, Papal States by Pope Pius VII. St. Angela is the Patron Saint of: Bodily ills; disabled people; handicapped people; illness; loss of parents; physically challenged people; sick people; sickness, courage, strength and determination. Her feast day is January 27.
“Disorder in society is the result of disorder in the family.” ~ St. Angela Merici
PRAYER: Lord, let St. Angela never cease commending us to Your kindness. By always imitating her charity and prudence may we succeed in keeping Your teaching and preserving good morals. Amen🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Mark 3:22-30
“It is the end of Satan”
“The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus was misinterpreted in the greatest way imaginable. Jesus was doing the work of God, healing the sick, seeking the lost, feeding the hungry, proclaiming God’s mercy to sinners and releasing people from their demons. The Holy Spirit who came down upon Him at His baptism was powerfully at work in all He said and did. However, some of the religious experts of the time held the view that the spirit at work in Jesus was an evil spirit, not the Holy Spirit. ‘It is through the price of devils that He casts devils out’. It was the power of God that was at work through Jesus, not the power of Satan. The scribes who came down from Jerusalem and who accused Jesus of acting in the power of Satan were blind; they saw white and called it black. It is hard to imagine a more serious misjudgement of others than to confuse the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives with the work of an evil spirit. It is what Jesus calls in the Gospel reading, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. These religious experts were completely blind to the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus. We might be tempted to think that we could not be so blind. Yet, we too can fail to recognize the presence and working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of others. We can be so focused on what we perceive to be their failings that we fail to see the presence of the Holy Spirit in them. The Gospel reading calls on us to be alert to the signs of the Holy Spirit in each other, even when those signs are not always glaringly obvious.
In our first reading today from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author of this Epistle, widely considered to be St. Luke the Evangelist, spoke about the sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour has offered at the moment of His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross, the one and only singular offering and sacrifice needed for the salvation of the whole entire world, for the past, present and the future. And this is something that all of us as Christians believe in, that the Lord has suffered and died, offering His own Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood as the Lamb of God to atone for our many, innumerable sins and faults, and this perfect sacrifice is the only one that can redeem all of us, once and for all. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews directed these words to the Jewish people, both those who have believed in Christ and likely also those who have not believed in Him and were still unconvinced that Jesus was truly the Messiah sent by God. That was why the author spent a lot of time and effort explaining the actions that the Lord Jesus had done, in why He had to suffer and face persecutions, which were actually the fulfilment of everything that the prophets like Isaiah and many others had spoken about Him. At that time, many among the people of God held the popular belief that the Messiah would come to liberate all of them from the hands and dominion by their enemies, like the Romans and others such as the Herodian rulers. Thus, some Jewish people rejected the Lord because of how He has died and was crucified by the Romans. According to today’s first reading, ‘Christ offers Himself only once to take the faults of many on Himself’. God sent His Son into the world not to condemn the world but to pour out the Spirit of God’s loving forgiveness on all, so that we may be reconciled to God. However, God needs an opening in our hearts, no matter how tiny, if God’s loving purpose for our lives is to come to pass. All we need do is to pray the prayer of the tax collector in the Temple, ‘Lord, be merciful to me a sinner’.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of an important core tenet of our Christian faith, that is we all believe in the salvation that has been given and reassured to us through Christ, the Son of God, Who has manifested the perfect love and compassion of God in the flesh, having been made incarnate in the flesh, through the means of His Mother, the Blessed, ever Virgin, Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of the Saviour of the whole world. And we are reminded through those passages from the Sacred Scriptures of the nature of the Sacrifice and Offering which Christ our Lord, our High Priest had offered on our behalf from the Altar of His Cross, as He willingly laid down His life in exchange for our own lives, so that by His suffering and death, He might bring us all into the assurance of eternal life. We are all called to emulate the Holy men and women and all Saints, particularly those we celebrate today, Saint Angela Merici, Virgin, whose dedication, great efforts and works had shown throughout her life inspiring many other women in their desire to follow the Lord and to show the path to many others towards God and His salvation. Therefore, each and every one of us as Christians should also follow in the great examples of this great woman and Saint, doing our best at each and every moments in our lives to reject the false glory and pleasures of the world, and instead seek the true joy and glory that can be found in Christ our Lord alone. Let us all therefore do our best in each and every moments of our lives so that by our commitment and efforts, in each and every moments of our lives, we may come ever closer to the Lord and to His salvation and grace. Let us all remind ourselves to place our focus ever more on Him, and resist the many temptations present all around us. Let us all not be easily swayed by the worldly pressures, coercions and temptations, and stay faithful to God at all times. May the Lord our most loving God and Father continue to guide us all towards His Presence, and may He continue to strengthen and empower each and every one of us in our everyday living and journey that we may truly be the worthy disciples and followers of God, proclaiming His light and salvation to all the peoples of the whole world, now and forevermore. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace and bless our every good works and efforts, and may He grant us His grace in all things, in all that we do and act at every moment, now and forevermore. Amen🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF JANUARY | MONTH OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS: The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. After the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit, the Angel Gabriel appeared to St. Joseph and told him that the Child’s name should be called Jesus, meaning “God Saves.” According to Jewish law, on the 8th day after his birth a male child was to be circumcised, receive his name, and become a full member of God’s covenant people. According to the old Roman liturgical calendar, the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus was celebrated on January 1st, eight days after Christmas, the same day that He was given His sacred name. Currently we celebrate the Solemnity of the Mother of God on January 1st and honor the Holy Name of Jesus on January 3rd. For Catholics, Jesus’ sacred name is the object of a special devotion symbolized by the monogram “IHS,” (sometimes called a Christogram), which is the first three letters of the Greek spelling of His name.
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=12538
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2025: FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY – FOR THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION: Let us pray for migrants, refugees, and those affected by war, that their right to an education, which is necessary to build a better world, might always be respected.
https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2025
PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:
Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
PRAYER INTENTIONS: Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, on this feast day, we humbly pray and thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! And as we begin the Ordinary Time, may the Lord grant us the grace to serve Him in spirit and in truth. We pray for peace, love and unity in our marriages, our families and our world today, as we face these incredibly challenging times. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are sick with heart diseases, strokes, mental illness, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and 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 vocations to the priesthood and religious life, 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 merciful Jesus, I sin every day and will continue to fail to follow You with perfection. For this reason, I thank You for Your abundant mercy. Please help me to always be open to that mercy by regularly re-examining my decisions in life. Give me humility, dear Lord, to always repent and to turn back to You when I stray. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏🏽
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Angela Merici ~ Pray for us🙏
*Please find below links to the websites for Daily Reflections, Foundation and interesting topics and articles about our Catholic faith and doctrines:
DAILY REFLECTIONS | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/
SIR G.L.I OPIEPE’S HEALTH AND EDUCATION FOUNDATION | https://gliopiepehe.org
THE LITURGICAL YEAR IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/12/03/the-liturgical-year-in-the-catholic-church/
OPENING OF THE HOLY DOORS SCHEDULES | JUBILEE OF HOPE 2025
Pope Francis opens the Holy Door Ushering in the Jubilee of Hope | ‘Hope is Alive’ | Vatican News | December 24, 2024 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/12/25/pope-francis-opens-the-holy-door-ushering-in-the-jubilee-of-hope-hope-is-alive-vatican-news-december-24-2024/
THE JUBILEE PRAYER
Link to the prayer of the Jubilee of Hope 2025 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/01/08/the-jubilee-prayer/
Reflections and Prayer Links for 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity:
Reflections and Prayers for the Eight Days: A Journey through the Nicene Creed | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/01/18/2025-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity/
Resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and throughout the year | 2025 EN WPCU.pdf| https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/01/18/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2025-january-18-25-2025/
9 DAYS FOR LIFE: PRAY TO PROTECT HUMAN LIFE | January 16-24, 2025 | USCCB* [Link below] https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/01/17/9-days-for-life-novena-usccb/
Solemnity of the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle | Celebration of Second Vespers on the 58th WPCU | Homily of Pope Francis | LIVE from the Vatican, Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls | Saturday, 25 January 2025 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/01/26/solemnity-of-the-conversion-of-saint-paul-the-apostle-celebration-of-second-vespers-on-the-58th-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-homily-of-the-holy-father-pope-francis/
Thanking God for the gift of this new year 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 as we begin this Ordinary Time. Wishing all of us a most blessed, safe, healthy, prosperous, and grace-filled New Year and week. Amen🙏
Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖