MEMORIAL OF SAINT AGATHA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR

FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 5, 2025

Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time!

Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr. St. Agatha is the Patron Saint of rape victims; torture victims; martyrs; single laywomen; sterility; nurses; wet-nurses; Bell-founders; jewelers; against breast cancer and diseases of the breast; invoked against earthquakes, fire, natural disasters; eruptions of Mount Etna; Catania, Italy; Palermo, Italy; Zamarramala, Spain. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Agatha, and all the Saints, we humbly pray for torture victims, victims of human trafficking, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. For those who are sick, especially those who are sick with cancers and other terminal diseases. 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. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints, may they intercede for us all and for peace in our families and our divided and conflicted World. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏🏽

We 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! May the good Lord grant us His grace during this Ordinary Time as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth. 🙏🏽

NOVENA IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES [Novena Starts: February 2nd; Feastday: February 11th | Novena prayer | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/02/02/novena-to-our-lady-of-lourdes/

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN | “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/02/05/catholic-daily-mass-daily-tv-mass-february-5-2025/

Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries | Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/01/30/holy-rosary-for-peace-with-pope-francis/

Please find below links to the websites for Daily Reflections, Foundation and interesting topics and articles about our Catholic faith and doctrines | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/01/30/daily-reflections-and-prayer-links/

DAILY REFLECTIONS | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2025: FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY – FOR VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD AND RELIGIOUS LIFE | Let us pray that the ecclesial community might welcome the desires and doubts of those young people who feel a call to serve Christ’s mission in the priesthood and religious life.

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2025 (See also http://www.popesprayerusa.net/.)

We continue to pray for the intentions of our Holy Father. We pray for the Clergy, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, all religious, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. For those consecrated to God by the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience that they may seek to live their baptismal promises more intensely and have the grace to persevere in their commitment to the Lord and serve with open hearts and willing spirits… Amen 🙏🏽

Today, we continue to pray for the victims of the recent plane and helicopter crash last week Wednesday evening near Washington, DC and the Medical transport jet crash in Philadelphia last week Friday night. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the victims, their families and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. May their gentle soul and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen 🙏🏽

On this special feast day, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to pray for the repose of the gentle souls of the recent plane crashes and 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 other parts of the country) and victims of natural disasters across the world. We especially pray for those that have lost their lives and their families and loved ones.

“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” 🙏🏽

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

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/

NOVENA IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES [Novena Starts: February 2nd; Feastday: February 11th]

NOVENA PRAYER: Most Holy Mother Mary, at Lourdes you asked us to do penance and to pray for the conversion of sinners. Obtain for each of us the grace of true repentance. Help those for whom we pray, and especially those who most need God’s mercy. Your Divine Son so loves every soul that He gave His life to pay the price for our redemption. Help us to return His love by making the sacrifices needed to keep his commandments. Most Holy Mother you offered your Divine Son to the Eternal Father when you presented Him in the temple; offer us to the Father as your other children; watch over us and guide us. Blessed Mother, obtain for me the grace I most need, and especially these favors that I ask in this Novena, if they be in keeping with God’s will. Amen.
O Immaculate Virgin Mary, preserved from the slightest stain of sin, and enriched with all the treasures of divine grace, I thank you for the many blessings I have received through your most powerful intercession. You know my needs, my trials, my sufferings. Mother of mercy, I beseech you to hear my prayer, and to obtain for me of your Divine Son the favors I seek in this Novena. (Here make your requests.)

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 thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother; to thee 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 🙏🏽(Add your daily Rosary)

Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for us 🙏🏽
Saint Bernadette, Pray for us 🙏🏽

Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes Link | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/02/02/novena-to-our-lady-of-lourdes/

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT AGATHA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR – FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 5TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr. St. Agatha is the Patron Saint of rape victims; torture victims; martyrs; single laywomen; sterility; nurses; wet-nurses; Bell-founders; jewelers; against breast cancer and diseases of the breast; invoked against earthquakes, fire, natural disasters; eruptions of Mount Etna; Catania, Italy; Palermo, Italy; Zamarramala, Spain. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Agatha, and all the Saints, we humbly pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. For those who are sick, especially those who are sick with cancers and other terminal diseases. 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. May they intercede for us all and for peace in our families and our conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏽

Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏🏽

Saint(s) of the Day | February 5th | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/

SAINT AGATHA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Agatha (231-251 A.D.) was an illustrious Sicilian virgin, noble by birth but more so by her heroic virtue, was martyred (at Catania in 251 during the Decian persecution) for refusing the solicitations of a Roman senator. At a young age she made the decision to devote herself to Christ, resisting every offer of marriage. Struck by her beauty and wealth, a magistrate named Quintanius desired to marry her. He plotted to use his political power to force her hand, and threatened to prosecute her for the crime of Christianity unless she accepted his sexual advances. When she refused, he forced her into a brothel. Even there, she refused to relinquish her chastity. Furious, Quintanius imprisoned and tortured Agatha, ordering her breasts to be cut off. Upon this barbaric treatment, God sent St. Peter the Apostle to Agatha in a vision, and he healed her wounds. St. Agatha’s torture continued, when she continued to resist, she was then thrown upon red-hot coals. At this point, a violent earthquake shook the town, caused her captors to flee, two walls collapsed, burying two of the governor’s friends in the debris. Quintanius, fearing that people would rise up in protest, had Agatha returned to prison half dead. Here she offered her dying prayer: “Blessed Agatha stood in the midst of the prison and with outstretched arms prayed to the Lord: O Lord Jesus Christ, good Master, I give You thanks that You granted me victory over the executioners’ tortures. Grant now that I may happily dwell in Your never-ending glory.” Thereupon she died of her tortures shortly after in 251 at Catania, Sicily.

A year after her death the city of Catania was in great peril from an eruption on Mount Etna. Pagans, too, were numbered among those who fled in terror to the saint’s grave. Her veil was taken and held against the onrushing flames, and suddenly the danger ceased. Her grave is venerated at Catania in Sicily. She is one of the seven women, besides the Virgin Mary, mentioned by name in the Roman Canon of the Mass. Her name is contained in Eucharistic Prayer I at Mass. St. Agatha is the Patron Saint of rape victims; torture victims; martyrs; single laywomen; sterility; nurses; wet-nurses; Bell-founders; jewelers; against breast cancer and diseases of the breast; invoked against earthquakes, fire, natural disasters; eruptions of Mount Etna; Catania, Italy; Palermo, Italy; Zamarramala, Spain.

“Jesus Christ, Lord of all things! You see my heart, You know my desires. Possess all that I am – You alone. I am Your sheep. Make me worthy to overcome the devil.” ~ St. Agatha

PRAYER: Lord God, St. Agatha always pleased You by her chastity and in the end her martyrdom. May she obtain for us merciful pardon for our sins. Amen🙏🏽

Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏🏽

Saint(s) of the Day | February 5th | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today’s Holy Mass for Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time | Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Today’s Bible Readings: Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Reading 1, Hebrews 12:4-7, 11-15
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18
Gospel, Mark 6:1-6

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 6:1-6

“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place”

“Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.”

In today’s Gospel reading, the people of Nazareth took offense at the fact that one of their own, someone whose family they knew well, someone whom they had known as a carpenter, was now displaying great wisdom in the words He spoke and great power in His deeds on behalf of others. ‘What is this wisdom that has been granted to Him, and these miracles that are worked through Him?’ They took offense, it seems, not at His actual wisdom and power, but at the fact that one of their own was displaying such wisdom and power. It was as if Jesus was too ordinary, too much like themselves, to be taken seriously. They would not accept him; in the words of Jesus, they despised Him. He was too familiar to them; they knew His mother and His family. He was one of their own; He was too ordinary. He could not possibly be all that different to everyone else in Nazareth. It is a clear case of familiarity breeding contempt. Jesus’ family were as ordinary as all the other inhabitants of this small town. He was the son of a ‘carpenter’, a term that can refer to a person with a skill not just with wood but with stone. Such a skill would have been in demand but indicated nothing exceptional. The reading suggests that we can sometimes be slow to recognize the presence of God in the ordinary and the familiar. The people of Nazareth were familiar with Jesus’ family who continued to live among them and whose members they could name off. Rather than rejoicing in the life-giving power of His ministry and the wisdom of His teaching, the people of Nazareth were scandalized by Him, because, in so many ways, He was no different from themselves. They were coming up against the scandal of the incarnation, the Word who was God became flesh as all of us are flesh. God chose to come to us in and through someone who was like us in all things, except sin. When Jesus went on to speak about God, He often pointed to the ordinary, to the familiar, to the normal – a farmer sowing seed, a man on a journey from Jerusalem to Jericho, a rebellious son in a family, a widow looking for justice from a judge. The life and teaching of Jesus shows us that God speaks to us in and through the ordinary events of life. What we need are the eyes to see and the ears to hear the extraordinary in the ordinary, the divine in the human.

According to the Gospel, Jesus had spent the best part of thirty years in Nazareth. During that time He was known by all as the carpenter, or the son of the carpenter, and the son of Mary. However, since leaving Nazareth, Jesus’ life had taken a new direction. He had thrown Himself into the work that God had given Him to do. He had left Nazareth as a carpenter; He returned as a teacher and a healer. There was in fact much more to Jesus that His own townspeople had ever suspected while He was living among them. The Gospel reading suggests that, when He returned for the first time after leaving, they could not accept this ‘more’; they rejected Him. They wanted Him to be the person they had always known; they would not allow Him to move on from their former perception of Him. The image they had of Him, which they held on to with great tenacity, became a block to their learning more about Him. There was more to Jesus than the people of Nazareth were aware of. Indeed there is always more to every human being than we are aware of. That is true even of those we would claim to know well.

Our first reading today is from the continuation of the discourse from the Epistle to the Hebrews, in which the author reminded the faithful among the Jewish community of the reality of how the Lord their God has adopted all of them as His own beloved children, and how He has loved them, guided them, helped and chastised them as a loving Father would do to His children, to help and guide them in their journey throughout life so that they will not end up falling into temptations and the path to ruin. This is contrasted to the traditional perception of God among the Jewish community at that time and previously, which perceived God as distant, invisible and transcendent beyond the reach of the people. But the Incarnation of the Saviour, the Son of God Himself in the flesh, has made God to be approachable and tangible for us. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews had spent a lot of time and effort throughout his Epistle to elaborate about the nature and role of the Messiah, the One Whom God had sent into the world to be the Liberator and the One to redeem us from our many sins, all the things that had separated us from God, our most loving and gracious Father and Creator. Therefore, he told the Jewish community how this same Saviour that God had sent into the world was truly the Son of God, and by His incarnation, He has become one like us, sharing our human existence and nature, and by doing so, He has made us all to share in His relationship with the Heavenly Father, and allow us all to become the adopted sons and daughters of God, while at the same time restoring the grace that has been lost to us, by His action in redeeming us through His loving sacrifice on the Cross.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of the hope that we all ought to have in the Lord, our God, Who is also our most loving Father and Creator. As long as we continue to have faith in Him, we will not be disappointed, and we will be assured the glorious inheritance that He has promised to all of us, the many graces and blessings which He, our loving Father has prepared for all of us, whom He has adopted to become His own most beloved sons and daughters. All of us must have faith in the Lord even when others despise us and make our lives difficult and challenging, as it is through the Lord alone that we shall be triumphant in the end against all of those who seek our destruction and damnation. There is truly no hope and future for us beyond the Lord. We are called as Christians to emulate the lives and examples of the Holy men and women and all the Saints, particularly the Saints we celebrate today, St. Agatha, Virgin and Holy Martyr of the Church. Let us all remember God’s most generous love for us as our loving Father, in all that He had done for us, and in how He guided us all patiently throughout even the most difficult and challenging moments in life. We are also reminded to be faithful like how St. Agatha had been faithful in all things, in all her commitment to God and the courage she showed in resisting all the efforts to turn her away from the Lord and in how she had maintained her faith courageously despite all the sufferings and martyrdom that she had to endure. That is why, today all of us as Christians are called and reminded to be good examples and inspirations for each other, to be the beacons of God’s light and hope for everyone around us. Let us all continue to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and might, and help one another in accomplishing our respective missions in this world. Let us all be strengthened in faith in the Lord, being always reminded that God Himself has willingly dwelled in our midst, and He has always been loving and compassionate towards us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace, as we all place Him at the centre of all of our lives, and let us continue to live our lives worthily in accordance to what God has shown and taught us, that we may be truly exemplary and inspirational in our own way of life. May the Lord bless us all in our every good endeavours, efforts and works, and may He continue to help and guide us in our journey through life so that in all things and at all opportunities, we will always strive to be good, faithful and worthy Christians, to be faithful and righteous as our holy predecessors had been, like St. Agatha before us. Amen 🙏🏽

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY | MONTH OF THE HOLY FAMILY The month of February is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Family. Between the events which marked Christmas and the beginning of Christ’s public life the Church has seen fit to recall the example of the Holy Family for the emulation of the Christian family.
The Feast of the Presentation (February 2) or Candlemas forms a fitting transition from Christmas to Easter. The small Christ-Child is still in His Mother’s arms, but already she is offering Him in sacrifice.
The Saints that we will focus on this month and try to imitate are:
St. Blaise and St. Ansgar (February 3); St. Agatha (February 5); St. Jerome Emiliani and St. Josephine Bakhita (February 8); St. Scholastica (February 10); Our Lady of Lourdes (February 11); Sts. Cyril and Methodius (February 14); Seven Founders of the Orders of Servites (February 17); St. Peter Damian (February 21); Chair of St. Peter (February 22) and St. Polycarp (February 23). The Optional Memorial of Polycarp (February 23), is superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

From Feast to Fast: Though the shortest month of the year, February is rich in Liturgical activity. It contains a feast (Presentation of our Lord) that bridges two other seasons (Christmas and Easter). The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd harkens back to the Christmas mystery of Light except that now, Christ, the helpless babe, is “the Light of Revelation to the Gentiles who will save His people from their sins.” Candles, symbolizing Christ our Light, will be carried in procession this day, as will be the Paschal candle during the Easter Vigil Liturgy. In addition, the faithful may receive in February two of the four major public sacramentals that the Church confers during the liturgical year: blessed candles and the blessing of throats. “The Light of Revelation” shines more brightly with each successive Sunday of Ordinary Time, until its magnificence–exposing our sinfulness and need for conversion–propels us into the penitential Season of Lent. We prepare to accept the cross of blessed ashes on Ash Wednesday, falls on March 5, 2025, marking the beginning of the Lenten season and plunge ourselves into anticipating the major exercises of Lent–fasting, prayer, almsgiving–laying our thoughts and prayers on the heart of our Mother Mary. She, who offered her Son in the temple and on the Cross, will teach us how to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow after her Son. 🙏🏽

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=12539

PRAYER INTENTIONS: We 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! May the good Lord grant us His grace during this Ordinary Time as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Agatha, and all the Saints, we humbly pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. 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. We pray for all those who are sick, we particularly pray for sick children, the mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from breast cancer and other cancers and terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families. We pray for an end to war, political and religious unrest. We pray for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. For God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and for all widows and widowers. We continue to pray for the Clergy, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, all religious, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. For those consecrated to God by the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience that they may seek to live their baptismal promises more intensely and have the grace to persevere in their commitment to the Lord and serve with open hearts and willing spirits… Amen. We pray 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. Please let us continue to pray for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏽

Let us pray:

My ever-present Lord, thank You for the countless ways in which You are present in the lives of those all around me. Give me the grace to see You and to love You in the lives of those closest to me. As I discover Your glorious presence in their lives, fill me with deep gratitude and help me to acknowledge Your love that comes forth from their lives. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Agatha ~ Pray for us🙏

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 during this Ordinary Time. Have a blessed, safe and grace-filled and fruitful week. Amen🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖