TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: SEPTEMBER 9, 2024
NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF SORROWS: Traditionally prayed September 7–15th. The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows is September 15th | Novena link below
Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy Monday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time!
On this feast day of St. Peter Claver, we humbly pray for the poor, for victims of human trafficking and for an end to human trafficking and modern-day slavery around the world. We continue to pray for our children and children all over the world. With special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we pray for their safety and well-being, especially those beginning the new school year. May God grant them the courage to face new challenges and wisdom to make good choices. We pray for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and for God’s guidance and protection upon them during this school year and always. We pray for safe travels, to and from school. We also pray for all teachers, staff and parents, and guardians. May the good Lord provide for those in need. And we continue to pray for the Clergy, persecuted Christians, for peace, love, justice and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well. Amen 🙏
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” ~ James 1:5
On this day, we pray for the sick and dying, especially those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We particularly pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we pray for the repose of their gentle souls and 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 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 & the Holy Spirit forever & ever. Amen🙏
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | September 9, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | September 9, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes France” | September 9, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| September 9, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
Today’s Bible Readings: Monday September 9, 2024
Reading 1, 1 Corinthians 5:1-8
Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 5:5-6, 7, 12
Gospel, Luke 6:6-11
NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF SORROWS: Traditionally prayed September 7–15th. The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows is September 15th | https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/nine-day-prayer-for-life-novena-to-our-lady-of-sorrows-283
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT PETER CLAVER, PRIEST; SAINT GORGONIUS, MARTYR AND SAINT KIERAN THE YOUNGER, RELIGIOUS ~ FEAST DAY: SEPTEMBER 9TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Peter Claver. Priest; Saint Gorgonius, Martyr and Saint Kieran the Younger, Religious. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the victims of human trafficking and for an end to human trafficking and modern-day slavery around the world. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are physically and mentally ill, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for the poor and needy and 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 PETER CLAVER, PRIEST: St. Peter Claver (1580 – 1654) was a Jesuit missionary who spent his life in the service of African slaves brought against their will to South America during the 17th century. St. Peter Claver was born on June 26, 1580 to impoverished parents who descended from ancient and distinguished farming family in the Spanish region at Verdu, Catalonia, Spain. He studied at the University of Barcelona as a young man, and joined the Jesuit novitiate at Tarragona in 1602, taking his final vows on Aug 8, 1604. While studying philosophy in Tarragona, St. Peter developed a friendship with an older Jesuit lay brother, Alphonsus Rodriguez. Although Alphonsus spent his days doing menial work as a door-keeper, he had immense insight into spiritual matters and encouraged St. Peter to become a missionary in the Spanish colonies. St. Alphonsus Rodriguez influrnced St. Peter Claver to go to the Indies and save “millions of those perishing souls.” Pope Leo XIII would later canonize both men on the same day, almost two centuries later. St. Peter Claver left his homeland to become a missionary in the colonies of the new world (the Americas). In 1610, St. Peter Claver, now a priest, arrived in Cartagena, a port city in present-day Colombia. Despite Pope Paul III’s repeated condemnations of slavery during the previous century, European colonists continued importing African slaves, often sold by their own rulers, to work on plantations and in mines. Those who survived the ship journey could expect to be worked to death by their masters. St. Peter was determined to sacrifice his own freedom to bring material aid and eternal salvation to the African slaves, in keeping with his vow, St. Peter Claver declared himself to become the “slave of the Negroes forever.” The young priest made and kept this resolution despite his own health problems (aggravated by Cartagena’s tropical climate) and the language barrier between himself and the population he served. St. Peter Claver ministered to the slaves physically and spiritually when they arrived daily in Cartegena (now Colombia). Over a thousand slaves arrived in Cartagena every month. He brought them food, ministered to their medical needs and prayed with them. He would care for the sick and dying, and instruct the slaves through Black catechists, before administering the Sacraments. After instructing them in the faith, he baptized them. Furthermore, he did not lose sight of his converts when they left the ships, but followed them to the plantations to which they were sent, encouraged them to live as Christians, and prevailed on their masters to treat them humanely. During the 40 years of his ministry at Cartagena, by 1651, St. Peter Claver instructed and baptized an estimated 300,000 slaves into the faith.
Many Spanish Royal officials in Cartagena appreciated St. Peter Claver’s work, and made contributions toward the slaves’ relief and religious education. The slave traders, on the other hand, found the priest and his interpreters to be a nuisance. Meanwhile, some Spanish expatriates who sought out the priest because of his holy reputation, refused to enter the same church or confessional as the black slaves. In order to minister to speakers of a foreign language, St. Claver often employed pictorial representations of Catholic truths. He also communicated by means of generosity and expressions of love, giving food and drink to the ailing workers and visiting them during bouts of sickness that often proved fatal. “We must speak to them with our hands,” he reasoned, “before we try to speak to them with our lips.” In keeping with his vow of “slavery,” St. Peter survived on minimal amounts of food and sleep. His life of humility and penance led to miraculous occurrences – as when he healed the sick with the touch of his cloak, or appeared surrounded by a supernatural light during his hospital visits. After four years of sickness, which forced St. Peter to remain inactive and largely neglected, his work came to an end with his death at Cartagena on September 8, 1654. Pope Leo XIII canonized him on January 15, 1888, proclaiming him special patron and protector of the negroes. St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, porter of the college, who inspired St. Peter to become a missionary for the slaves was also canonized at the same time. St. Peter Claver is the Patron Saint of slave; against slavery; African missions; foreign missions; black people; race relations; Colombia; diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana; diocese of Lake Charles, Louisiana; Knights and Ladies Auxiliary of St. Peter Claver. During the Vatican’s Synod for Africa in 2009, Cartagena’s Archbishop Jorge Enrique Jiménez Carvajal lamented the fact that his city had been the center of an “awful commerce.” But he spoke with gratitude for the fact that the same city had become the home of such a “great witness to sanctity,” the “apostle of the slaves, whose body rests in our cathedral, who lived to protect them and lead them towards the faith” in which they could experience God’s love.
PRAYER: God of mercy and love, You offer all peoples the dignity of sharing in Your life. By the example and prayers of St. Peter Claver, strengthen us to overcome all racial hatreds and to love each other as brothers and sisters. Amen 🙏
QUOTES OF SAINT PETER CLAVER: ☆ “Seek God in all things and you shall find God by your side.” ☆”To love God as He ought to be loved, we must be detached from all temporal love. We must love nothing but Him, or if we love anything else, we must love it only for His sake.” ☆ “We must speak to them with our hands by giving, before we try to speak to them with our lips.” ☆”Man’s salvation and perfection consists of doing the will of God which he must have in view in all things, and at every moment of his life.”
SAINT GORGONIUS, MARTYR: St. Gorgonius was born in Nicomedia, a Roman soldier in the court of Emperor Diocletian. While an officer of the household of Diocletian, he converted to the faith of Christ, with the help of his colleague Dorothy, all the servants of the imperial palace. “To punish them for such audacity, they were hung up and their bodies lacerated by whips; then vinegar and salt were thrown on their uncovered entrails and they were strangled after having been roasted on a gridiron.” They were put to death at Nicomedia, Bithynia (modern-day Izmit, Turkey) in A.D. 303. Later, the body of St. Gorgonius was buried at Rome on the Latin Way, whence it was eventually translated to the basilica of St. Peter.
According to tradition, St. Gorgonius held a high position in the household of the emperor, and had often been entrusted with matters of the greatest importance. At the breaking out of the persecution he was consequently among the first to be charged, and, remaining constant in the profession of the Faith, was with his companions, Dorotheus, Peter and several others, subjected to the most frightful torments and finally strangled. Diocletian, determined that their bodies should not receive the extraordinary honours which the early Christians were wont to pay the relics of the martyrs (honours so great as to occasion the charge of idolatry), ordered them to be thrown into the sea. The Christians nevertheless obtained possession of them, and later the body of Gorgonius was carried to Rome, whence in the eighth century it was translated by Saint Chrodegang, Bishop of Metz, and enshrined in the monastery of Gorze. Many French churches obtained portions of the saint’s body from Gorze, but in the general pillage of the French Revolution, most of these relics were lost. Their feast is kept on September 9th.
Saint Gorgonius, Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏
SAINT KIERAN THE YOUNGER, RELIGIOUS: St. Kieran the Younger (512-546 A.D.), also known as St. Ciaran, was born in Connacht, Ireland, the son of a carpenter. He demonstrated a great aptitude in his studies, being educated by a holy deacon who had him baptized. St. Kieran tended cattle in the fields before continuing his education at Saint Finnian’s monastery school at Clonard, where he became a monk. He soon earned the reputation for being the most learned monk at Clonard, and was held in high esteem by his instructors and peers. St. Kieran’s years of residence there were marked by many miracles. He also mentored, befriended, and tutored many of the founders of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Saint Kieran eventually left Clonard and went on to found the famous Clonmacnoise Abbey in West Meath Ireland, which attracted thousands of students from all over Europe. St. Kieran was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland – the first twelve bishops in Ireland consecrated by St. Patrick. He is also honored as the first Irish-born saint. St. Kieran’s feast day is September 9th.
Saint Kieran the Younger, Religious ~ Pray for us 🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, the Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest | USCCB| https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Luke 6:6-11
“The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath”
“On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up and stand before us.” And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Looking around at them all, he then said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.”
In today’s Gospel reading, when Jesus goes into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, a man with a withered right hand was standing there. The Pharisees and scribes were watching Jesus to see if He would heal the man, thereby breaking the Sabbath law which prohibited work on the Sabbath. Knowing their intentions, Jesus addresses a question to them, ‘Is it against the law on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?’ The question is left hanging in the air, waiting for an answer. How would we answer it? Clearly, it is against the Sabbath law to do evil on the Sabbath, but the implication of Jesus’ question is that it is never against the Sabbath law to do good, to save and enhance life. Doing good, relating to people in ways that bring wholeness and healing, is always timely. There is never a time when it is not appropriate. We are to take every opportunity that comes our way to work for the good of others, regardless of the day of the week. There is never a wrong time to do good. Any law which says otherwise is not God’s law. The sun never ceases to shine, even if clouds block our view of it. God never ceases to work in a loving and life-giving way and Jesus is the embodiment of God’s life-giving work. He cannot but touch the lives of others in ways that bring them more fully to life. The Lord’s life-giving and loving presence never ceases to shine upon us either, regardless of the day of the week, however dark situation in which we might find ourselves. He is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow.
According to the Gospel reading, Jesus was clearly doing good, but some people were on the lookout for what he might be doing wrong. Some of Jesus’ contemporaries were very slow to recognize that God was at work in the life and ministry of Jesus. Some went so far as to claim that all the good Jesus was doing was done through the power of Satan. In contrast to His opponents who saw bad where there was only good, Jesus saw good in people where they themselves and others very often only saw bad. He saw the good in Zacchaeus whom most people despised. He saw the good in Peter who had called on Jesus to depart from him because he was a sinful man. Jesus knew that Zacchaeus and Peter were sinners and left a lot to be desired but He also saw all that was of value in them. We can often be much quicker to name the failings of others than to name the good in them. Jesus’ mission in life was not to take people down but to build people up, not to diminish them but to enhance them. This is what we find Jesus doing in today’s Gospel reading. He healed a man with a disability on the Sabbath, even though He knew that in doing so he would meet with hostility from those who held that He was breaking the Sabbath rest. Yet, Jesus would not be side-tracked from His work of renewing people, recreating them, in body, mind and spirit. This remains His work among us today. His mission remains, in the words of the Gospel reading, ‘to do good’ and ‘to save life’. This is the same mission that He has entrusted to each one of us. We are not to be in the business of waiting and hoping that people will fail. The Lord wants to work through us to build up others in body, mind and spirit. The Gospels are always calling us to see the good work that God is doing even when things are not happening quite as we might expect or want them to happen. We are all called to look upon others with the eyes of Jesus. It is not a case of looking at everything and everyone through rose-tinted glasses. Rather we are to look beyond the weakness, the imperfection in others, so as to see as well the elements of grace that are always there in every human life.
In our first reading today, from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, St. Paul chastised the Corinthians and the faithful people of God there for their immoral and improper behaviour in how they carried out actions such as taking one’s own stepmother as a wife, and other scandals which were truly unbecoming of the Lord’s holy and beloved people. This together with other immoral actions and behaviours which St. Paul highlighted to the Christians in Corinth that they should not be doing those actions and that they should turn back once again towards the righteous and virtuous path of the Lord, throwing away the corruptions of worldliness and immorality, and all the things which may become stumbling blocks and obstacles in their path towards God and His salvation.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded that we should have true and genuine faith in the Lord, and not to allow ourselves to be tempted by the distractions and temptations present all around us in this world. Each and every one of us must always be committed to the Lord, our loving God and Master, and keep ourselves firmly rooted in our faith in Him, entrusting ourselves to Him in all things. We should not allow our pride and ego to be hurdles and stumbling blocks in our path, preventing us from coming closer to God and His salvation. Instead, we should continue to resist the temptations of the world, the temptations and allures of pride and ego so that we may truly come faithfully to the Lord’s Presence. Let us all hence be inspired by the great examples of the Saints and Holy men and women, particularly the great examples and the life of St. Peter Claver, who we celebrate today. Let us all therefore be inspired by the great examples and the dedication which St. Peter Claver, as a committed servant of God and holy man of God, had done in his life and has shown us how we all can also live our lives worthily as a disciple and follower of the Lord. Let us all be holy, just as the Lord our God is Holy, and let us all commit ourselves in our own way, and in our own capacity, to serve the Lord ever more faithfully and courageously in all things. Each and every one of us as part of God’s Church have the shared responsibility, mission and calling to do what He has entrusted to us to do, that is to proclaim God’s truth and love, His Good News and salvation to everyone, and we should do this while showing the same love which God has generously showered us with. Let us all continue to love one another and be gracious to all of our fellow brethren, especially those who are less fortunate and have no one to care for them. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to look on others in a more understanding and more generous way. May the good Lord bless us all and empower each one of us, in our daily lives, to be His ever more dedicated disciples. May the Lord bless us in all things, and may the intercession of St. Peter Claver be with us always. Amen.🙏
PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this Ordinary Time, please let us pray for the souls of our loved ones who recently passed away 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. We pray for the people of Maui Hawaii, United States, especially those who lost their lives in the Maui wildfire disaster, may God grant them eternal rest and may their families find peace and comfort. Amen. We pray for peace in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the continent of Africa, Nigeria and peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. We also pray for the sick and dying, especially those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases, for the souls of the faithful departed, may God grant them eternal rest. We pray for the poor and the needy and we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER:
MONTH OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS:
September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows, also known as our Mother of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa)! Since the 16th century, Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The Church dedicates the month of September to Our Lady of Sorrows, whose memorial the Church celebrates on September 15th. Devotion to the sorrows of the Virgin Mary dates from the twelfth century, when it made its appearance in monastic circles under the influence of St. Anselm and St. Bernard.
This devotion recalls the Blessed Virgin Mary’s spiritual martyrdom in virtue of her perfect union with the Passion of Christ. This was her role in salvation history and what merited her place as the spiritual Mother of all Christians. This is symbolized by a single sword, or seven swords, piercing Mary’s suffering heart, as foretold in Simeon’s prophecy. Traditionally the Church meditates on the “Seven Sorrows” of our Blessed Mother: the prophecy of Simeon; the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt; the loss of the Child Jesus for three days; the meeting of Mary and Jesus as He carried His cross; Jesus’ crucifixion and death; Jesus’ sacred body taken down from the cross; and Jesus’ burial. All the sorrows of Mary (the prophecy of Simeon, the three days’ loss, etc.) are merged in the supreme suffering at the Passion. In the Passion, Mary suffered a martyrdom of the heart because of Our Lord’s torments and the greatness of her love for Him. “She it was,” says Pope Pius XII, “who immune from all sin, personal or inherited, and ever more closely united with her Son, offered Him on Golgotha to the Eternal Father together with the holocaust of her maternal rights and motherly love. As a new Eve, she made this offering for all the children of Adam contaminated through his unhappy fall. Thus, she, who was the mother of our Head according to the flesh, became by a new title of sorrow and glory the spiritual mother of all His members.” The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa) is September 15th.
INVOCATIONS: Mary most sorrowful, Mother of Christians, pray for us. Virgin most sorrowful, pray for us 🙏🏾
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=762
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER – FOR THE CRY OF THE EARTH: We pray that each one of us will hear and take to heart the cry of the Earth and of victims of natural disasters and climactic change, and that all will undertake to personally care for the world in which we live.
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 the 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 Lord, you know all thoughts and probe the depths of every heart. You know me, Lord, through and through. Please open my eyes to see that which is within me so that I can discern the ill intentions I have and rejoice in the virtues given to me by You. May I always be attentive to You, dear Lord, so that I become aware of all that You wish to reveal to me. 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 Peter Claver; Saint Gorgonis and Saint Kieran the Younger ~ 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 week and fruitful month of September!🙏
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖