THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B )

SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD: Observed on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sunday between January 21-27)

“Pope Francis on September 30, 2019 directed that the 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time should be observed as the Sunday of the Word of God. In a motu proprio entitled Aperuit Illis, the Holy Father said that the annual date should be “devoted to the celebration, study, and dissemination of the Word of God.”

“He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Lk 24:45).

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY 2024: In the Northern Hemisphere, beginning Thursday, January 18, 2024 and ends Thursday, January 25, 2024. Link for prayers for the entire week below.

PRAY TO PROTECT HUMAN LIFE! 9 DAYS FOR LIFE NOVENA: JANUARY 19-27, 2024
Link for 9 Days for Life Novena below.

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ JANUARY 21, 2024: FEAST OF OUR LADY OF HIGH GRACE (OUR LADY OF ALTAGRACIA) AND MEMORIAL OF SAINT AGNES, VIRGIN AND MARTYR

Greetings beloved family and Happy Third Sunday in Ordinary Time!

Watch “Holy Mass on Sunday of the Word of God with Pope Francis | Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) | Live from the Vatican, Saint Peter’s Basilica | January 21, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), January 21, 2024 on EWTN” |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | January 21, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | January 21, 2024 |

Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | January 21, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | January 21, 2024 |

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), Sunday, January 21, 2024
Reading 1, Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Reading 2, First Corinthians 7:29-31
Gospel, Mark 1:14-20

SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD: The Third Sunday of Ordinary Time we mark the occasion of the Sunday of the Word of God which was instituted a few years ago, on September 30, 2019 by Pope Francis, our Supreme Pontiff with the purpose of rediscovering our love and zeal for the Lord through the deepening of our knowledge and understanding of the Sacred Scriptures. The timing of the document is significant: September 30th is the Feast of Saint Jerome, the man who translated most of the Bible into Latin, and who famously said: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”. St. Jerome died in his Bethlehem monastery in 420 and the year of the institution of the Sunday of the Word of God marked almost 1600 years since his death. It is important that we have to spend some time and effort to get to know more about the Word of God contained within the Scriptures and hence, that is why this Sunday in particular, let us all delve into what we have just heard from the Scripture readings and focus our attention on the truth that the Lord Himself has brought into our midst. “He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Lk 24:45).

In a motu proprio entitled Aperuit Illis, the Holy Father, Pope Francis said that the annual date should be “devoted to the celebration, study, and dissemination of the Word of God.” This is instituted because of the need for all of us as Christians to deepen our knowledge and understanding, appreciation and immersion in the Word of God found in the Scriptures. It was often said that Catholics do not have a good grasp, knowledge or understanding of the Scriptures, and hence, it is easy for us to be led astray by those who claimed to know the meaning of the Scriptures, and those who twisted and changed the meaning of the Word of God to satisfy their own aim and ambitions, their wicked and unholy purposes, drawing us away from the righteous and holy path of God. This is why we all need to deepen our knowledge and understanding of God’s Words in the Scriptures. How do we then know the Lord better through His Word? There are many things that we can do, but first of all, we must have with us, the Sacred Scriptures, all the Word of God and His revelations as compiled and written by those whom He had inspired, and which the Church and the Church fathers had authoritatively determined to be genuine and true, beneficial and truly the Word of God, as contained in the Holy Bible. Then, we should spend quality time to examine and explore the Word of God with proper guidance through the Church, and find good references that are now easily and readily available, from reliable and good sources that can help us understand and appreciate the meaning of the Scriptures and the Word of God much better. Nonetheless, unless we spend good amount of quality time to focus on the Lord and His Word, then it is unlikely that His Word will have good and firm roots in us.

Observed on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sunday between January 21-27). Link – https://www.usccb.org/committees/divine-worship/sunday-word-god

PRAY TO PROTECT HUMAN LIFE! 9 DAYS FOR LIFE NOVENA: JANUARY 19-27, 2024

9 Days for Life is a novena for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. Link for 9 Days for Life: January 19-27, 2024: https://www.respectlife.org/9-days-for-life

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY 2024: In the Northern Hemisphere, Thursday, January 18, 2024 and ends Thursday, January 25, 2024

Today is day four of the week of prayer for Christian Unity, which is celebrated around the world from January 18th – 25th. As we continue this year’s week of prayer for Christian Unity with focus on Christians in the Northern Hemisphere, we join our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world in praying for peace, love, justice and unity in our divided and conflicted world so we can better build God’s Kingdom here on earth. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, look down with pity upon us and keep us all united in love and faith, so that we may all be truly one in Christ…Amen🙏

The theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2024: “You shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbor as yourself” ~ Luke 10:27

WPCU 2024 Daily Readings: Link for prayers for the entire week: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2024 | USCCB | https://www.usccb.org/committees/ecumenical-interreligious-affairs/week-prayer-christian-unity-2024

The theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2024 was selected by the Pontifical Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, the World Council of Churches, and the Christian Churches in Burkina Faso, coordinated by the community of Chemin Neuf, a French Catholic and ecumenical community of vowed and lay people and its local community in Burkina Faso.

The theme, taken from the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, reflects the connection between love of God and love of neighbor with a particular concern for challenging the boundaries of who is considered “neighbor”. In this pericope, Jesus is questioned as to the path to eternal life. His answer is not to only observe the commandments, but to also imitate the love of God in the giving of self for another. It is a call for charity, mercy, justice, and unity.

DAY 4: “WHEN HE SAW HIM….”

When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. (Lk 10:31)

SCRIPTURE READINGS:
Isaiah 58:6-9a
Psalm 34:15-22

MEDITATION: The priest and Levite who walk by on the other side may have had scrupulous reasons for not helping: they may have been ready to perform certain religious rituals and might have risked ritual defilement if the man had been dead. Yet on many occasions, Jesus is critical of religious leader- ship for placing the rules of religion ahead of the obligation to always do good. In fact, their attitudes are in violation of the Torah. The beginning of the text for the Week of Prayer tells us how the teacher of the law wanted to justify himself. The priest and the Levite in the parable would have felt justified in what they had done. As Christians, how far are we prepared to go beyond convention? Sometimes our ecclesial and culturally conditioned short-sightedness can prevent us from seeing what is being revealed by the life and witness of sisters and brothers of other Christian traditions. When we open our eyes to see how God’s love is revealed by our fellow Christians, we are drawn closer to them and so are drawn into deeper union with them. This parable of Jesus not only challenges us to do good, but also to widen our vision. The Good Samaritan is often the one we do not expect.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, As we journey with you towards unity, may our eyes not look away, but be wide open to the world. As we travel through life, may we stop and reach out, bind up the wounded and in so doing experience your presence in them: you who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen 🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 1:14–20

“Repent and believe in the Gospel”

“After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.”

Today’s Gospel reading gives an account of the Lord calling His disciples and telling them that the time is at hand, and how the Kingdom of God is about to come. This is reminding us all that while God is truly generous and kind, compassionate and filled with the desire to forgive us all and to welcome us back to His loving embrace, but unless we change our way of life and turn away from sin and evil, then we shall be judged and we have to face the consequences for everything that we have committed, out of sin and disobedience against the Lord. And then, we also need to answer God’s call and follow Him, just as the disciples had done. We all need to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and do what He has taught and shown us to do. According to today’s Gospel, at the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus ‘saw’ Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake, and shortly after he ‘saw’ James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John mending their nets in their boat. He looked upon them as they were engaged in their ordinary, daily, activities as fishermen. Looking upon them in love, He saw them as more than fishermen. He saw that they could be His co-workers in proclaiming the good news of the nearness of God’s kingdom, God’s rule of love for all. Jesus’ loving way of seeing these two sets of brothers encouraged them to leave their fishing business and attach themselves to Him, so that they could share in His life-giving mission in the world. Shortly after in this Gospel of Mark, Jesus would look upon Levi, the son of Alphaeus, with the same eyes of love, as He was engaged in his daily business of collecting taxes for the Romans. Again, Jesus’ loving gaze moved Levi to leave his lucrative business and attach himself to Jesus so as to share in His mission. Having proclaimed the good news that the reign of God’s merciful love was present, the first thing Jesus did was to call people to help Him to make this good news a reality in people’s lives. The way Jesus looked upon people in the Gospels is the way the risen Lord looks upon all of us today. He sees us as He saw Simon and Andrew, James and John, and many others. His loving look penetrates to what is deepest and best within us. It focuses much more on who we can become than on our past failures. His way of looking upon us can enable us to be His co-workers in our world to-day. He sees how each one of us has a role to play in spreading His good news that God’s loving rule is at hand. However, if we are to proclaim that good news by our lives, we firstly have to allow ourselves to hear that good news as addressed to each of us personally. Before we can hear the Lord’s call to follow Him and share in His work, we firstly have to hear his invitation, ‘Repent and believe the good news’. To repent is to turn from ourselves towards the Lord; it is to turn towards Him so that we can see His loving gaze upon us. It is to allow ourselves to be looked upon by the Lord in love, to believe the good news that God’s kingdom, God’s loving reign, is present for me personally. This is the fundamental turn in our lives that comes before everything else in our relationship with the Lord. When we see how the Lord sees us with loving eyes, we will be moved to answer His call to follow Him, and to share in his mission of bringing the light of God’s loving presence into our often dark world. We share in this mission of the Lord together, as a family of believers. Jesus began His mission by calling two sets of brothers together. He was forming a new family, a new community of believers, to spread the good news. We are all called to belong in that family today.

Each time the Lord meets with us, that meeting will have all the elements that were present in His meeting with Peter, Andrew, James and John in the Gospel reading. We will first hear the Gospel, the good news of God’s unconditional love for us. We will hear a call to follow Jesus, to attach ourselves to Jesus as the one who embodies God’s love for us. We will then hear a call to mission, a call to go forth in the strength of the Lord and to become workers in the Lord’s harvest. This is the call to be good news for others, to be the Lord’s body in the world, His feet, His hands, His mouth, His eyes, His ears. What St. Paul said to the Corinthians can be said to us today, ‘Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it’. If we really believed that and lived out of it, that would be good news for all whose we meet in the course of our lives. How we look upon people will often shape how we relate to them. If we look upon them with strong dislike, we will treat them disrespectfully. If we look upon them with love, we will treat them in ways that promote their total well-being. A whole group can be discriminated against because they are looked upon as foreign and threatening. Jesus always looked upon people with love. Those who had been made to feel ‘sinners’, were drawn to Jesus because of the way that He looked upon them. In today’s Gospel reading, we are being called upon to look at everyone we encounter with love, kindness and respect.

In our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Jonah, the prophet Jonah proclaimed to the people of the great city of Nineveh in Assyria that their city would be destroyed in forty days’ time. At that time, Nineveh was the capital of the great Assyrian Empire, a proud and powerful empire that had conquered many of their neighbouring peoples and states, including that of the northern kingdom of Israel, exiling many of the people of Israel in that kingdom to distant lands including Assyria itself. As a proud and powerful kingdom at that time, Assyria did not have any rival or equal in their power and might, and they often carried out their actions with great impunity, not fearing any retribution or consequences. They pillaged and destroyed cities and towns, causing deaths and sufferings to countless peoples. It was there and then that the Lord decided to proclaim His judgments against Nineveh and the Assyrians, for all the sins which they had committed, much as how He had done similarly to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in a separate and much earlier instance as recorded in the Book of Genesis. The inhabitants of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had also committed grievous sins and terrible actions against the Lord and His ways, and hence, He also moved against them, to bring them their just fate of destruction unless they were to repent from their sins. In that case, Abraham was beseeching God on behalf of his cousin Lot and his family living in the area of Sodom and Gomorrah, that God might show His mercy and spared them all should some righteous people be found there. Yet, there were none to be found, and the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with great fire and brimstone, and levelled everything to the ground, while rescuing Lot and his family through His Angels. Yet, for the case of Nineveh, God spared the city from destruction and did not carry out what He had intended to do with them. According to the Sacred Scriptures, God wanted to speak to the people of Nineveh. This city of Nineveh, the capital of an empire had destroyed the kingdom of Israel, it was the epitome of evil to the people of Israel. Yet, God wanted to speak a word of love to this city, and Jonah the Jew was to be God’s messenger, a very reluctant messenger indeed. What the people of Nineveh did, was the reason behind why God spared the city from destruction. They genuinely and truly repented before God and everyone else, as they all as one people all showed great remorse and regret for their many sins and wickedness, and sought the mercy and compassion of God, which He gladly gave to all of them. Thus, the same thing applies to each and every one of us as well. To all of us who have sinned and disobeyed the Lord and His commandments, we have been given the chance by God to turn away from our sins and to repent from them. God truly did not desire our destruction, but rather our sanctification and liberation from sin. Yet, many of us are still trapped by all those sins and the wickedness, the temptations and all the obstacles surrounding us. This is why we need to take the initiative and remind ourselves and each other that we should keep ourselves free from those temptations, coercions and pressures to disobey the Lord and to walk down the path of worldliness and sin. We have to remain vigilant and strong in persevering to walk down the path of righteousness and faith in God instead.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures this Sunday of the Word of God, all of us have been presented with the reminders from the Lord that each and every one of us as Christians are called to live our lives with faith and Christian virtues, that in each and every moments of our lives, we will always be ready and vigilant, strong and resilient against the tide and endless assault of the evil ones, the many temptations and challenges we may encounter throughout our lives. We must always be careful lest the snares of evil and the temptations of the flesh, of worldly glory and ambitions lead us astray into the path towards our downfall and destruction. We have to resist them all and remain strong in the faith, heeding God’s call for us to follow Him, striving to live our lives to the fullest with faith and dedication to Him at all times. Therefore, let us always place the Lord and His Word ever at the first and foremost place in our lives, and amongst our families and circles of friends. Let us all be ever committed to live our lives worthily at all times, in all circumstances and anywhere, so that by our words, actions and deeds, everyone who witness our lives may know that God is present in our midst, and His Word may be known to more and more people, so that more may come to God’s grace and salvation. May the Lord be with us always and may He empower all of us so that by our lives we may be great role models and inspirations for one another. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the Lord continue to guide and strengthen each one of us so that we may draw ever closer to Him and His Presence, and may we all be found worthy to receive the fullness of His grace and love, in time to come. May God bless us in all our lives and in everything we do. Amen🙏

SAINTS OF THE DAY: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of High Grace (Our Lady of Altagracia) and the Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr.

OUR LADY OF HIGH GRACE (OUR LADY OF ALTAGRACIA): Also referred to as “Our Lady of la Altagracia” and “the Virgin de la Altagracia”. The image of Our Lady of Altagracia has long been venerated in the Extremadura region of Spain. It dates back to when Spain first colonized the Caribbean Island of Hispaniola (today, Dominican Republic and Haiti) since early 1500’s.  According to popular legend, two Spanish brothers, Alfonso and  Antonio de Trejo, brought a painting of the Virgin to Hispaniola from their home in Placencia, in the region of Extremadura in 1502 to their new home in Higuey, located in the southeastern corner of the island of Santo Domingo. The brothers were the first European settlers of the Island and when they moved to the city of Higuey, they took the image with them. Later they offered it to the parish church so that everyone could venerate it. The first shrine was completed in 1572. The painting was moved to the Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia after the cathedral was made a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in December 1970 and in 1971 the present Basilica was consecrated.

Popular piety has it that the devout daughter of a rich merchant had asked her father to bring her a portrait of Our Lady of Altagracia from Santo Domingo, which she had dreamt about. The father tried to get it for her, but with no success. Neither clergymen nor tradesmen had ever heard that Marian title. Back at Higuey, the merchant decided to stay overnight at a friend’s house. After dinner, feeling sorry for his daughter’s disappointment when he should arrive empty-handed, he described to those present his unsuccessful search. As he spoke, an old man with a long beard, who was passing by, took out of his knapsack a rolled up painting and gave it to the merchant saying, “This is what you are looking for.” It was the Virgin of Altagracia. At day break the old man had disappeared. The merchant’s daughter cherished her painting, but every morning, she would awake to find the picture had moved from her house and was always found outside her house, under a small orange tree. This continued until the girl told her parents, these events were interpreted to mean that the image did not belong to one family, but to all Dominicans and should be displayed publicly in the local parish. The first shrine and larger temple was dedicated in 1572 and the current Basilica in 1971 to display the image of the “Highest Grace” or Divine Maternity to signify the grace of the Virgin Mary.

The image, encompassing the Holy Family, is the Nativity scene: Jesus in the manger (naked and poor in his humanity; asleep, but he will rise); Mother Mary with a ray of light “white as snow” (adorned with stars and crowned; veiled as the virgin bride) with hands in prayer, clearly plays the central role; Saint Joseph with a candle (in the background as he is only the adopted father of Jesus; haloed for his sanctity; offering light as a service); The star of the Magi (God; light; guide) and The dark, cave-like background (the world in sin). The image of Our Lady of Altagracia had the privilege of being crowned twice: on August 15, 1922 – during the pontificate of Pius XI – It was declared that January 21st would be a National holiday by the President of the Dominican Republic, Doctor Joaquin Antonio Balaguer Ricardo. And Pope John Paul II, on January 25, 1979, during his visit to Santo Domingo at the Puerta del Conde, personally crowned the image with a golden silver tiara, his personal gift to the Virgin, the first evangelizer of the Americas. Our Lady of Altagracia is the Patroness of the island of Hispaniola, the island containing the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic where the evangelization of the New World began. The two national holiday dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Dominican Republic are: Our Lady of High Grace, Protector and Queen of the hearts of the Dominicans, celebrated on January 21st and Our Lady of Mercy, the principal patroness who was so proclaimed in 1616 during the Spanish colonial rule, celebrated on September 24th.

PRAYER: Most Holy Virgin of Altagracia, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for the continuous blessings you pour down on us. From your hands and from your maternal heart we receive, each day, the sustenance given to us by our Heavenly Father. You are our defender when we are in danger, our aid when we are in need and our hope in the sacrifices proper of our Christian life. Through your Immaculate Heart we want to sing a song of thanksgiving to God for all the blessings he has given us. We promise you, O Mother, gratitude and fidelity. You will reign forever in our homes and our town where we will venerate you as our Lady and Mother by growing in all your virtues. Make us worthy of being called your daughters so that serving God and you on this world, we will obtain the highest grace you bring to us: a holy death that will open to us the gates of heaven. Amen🙏

SAINT AGNES, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Agnes also known as Saint Agnes of Rome (c. 291–304 A.D.) was born to a wealthy noble Roman family during the last decade of the third century in 291. On the feast day of St. Agnes, whose name means “lamb” in Latin – the Pope traditionally blesses lambs, whose wool will be used to make the white pallium worn by archbishops. The name “Agnes” in Greek means “chaste, pure, sacred”. St. Agnes suffered martyrdom for her consecration to Christ during the bloody persecution of the Emperor Diocletian around 304 at the age of the thirteen and became one of the best known and most highly regarded of the Roman Martyrs. Her name is still retained in the First Eucharistic Prayer for Holy Mass. St. Agnes is one of the seven women, besides the Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Roman Canon of the Mass.

St. Agnes lived in Rome during the last major persecution of the early Church under the Emperor Diocletian. Though he was lenient toward believers for much of his rule, Diocletian changed course in 302, resolving to wipe out the Church in the empire. St. Agnes came of age as the Church was beginning to suffer under a set of new laws decreed by Diocletian, and his co-ruler Galerius, in 303. The emperor and his subordinate called for churches to be destroyed and their books burned. Subsequent orders led to the imprisonment and torture of clergy and laypersons, for the sake of compelling them to worship the emperor instead of Christ. Meanwhile, Agnes had become a young woman of great beauty and charm, drawing the attention of suitors from the first ranks of the Roman aristocracy. But in keeping with the words of Christ and Saint Paul, she had already decided on a life of celibacy for the sake of God’s kingdom. To all interested men, she explained that she had already promised herself to a heavenly and unseen spouse. These suitors both understood Agnes’ meaning, and resented her resolution. Some of the men, possibly looking to change her mind, reported her to the state as a believer in Christ. Agnes was brought before a judge who tried first to persuade her, and then to threaten her, into renouncing her choice not to marry for the Lord’s sake. When the judge showed her the various punishments he could inflict – including fire, iron hooks, or the rack that destroyed the limbs by stretching, St. Agnes smiled and indicated she would suffer them willingly. But she was brought before a pagan altar instead, and asked to make an act of worship in accordance with the Roman state religion. When Agnes refused, the judge ordered that she should be sent to a house of prostitution, where the virginity she had offered to God would be violated. Agnes predicted that God would not allow this to occur, and her statement proved true. Legends say that the first man to approach her in the brothel was struck blind by a sudden flash of light, and others opted not to repeat his mistake.

But one of the men who had at first sought to make Agnes his own, now lobbied the judge for her execution. In this respect, the suitor obtained his desire, when the public official sentenced her to die by beheading. The executioner gave her one last chance to spare her life, by renouncing her consecration to Christ – but St. Agnes refused, made a short prayer, and courageously submitted to death. Amid the tears of the spectators, she was put her to death by beheading. She was buried on the Via Nomentana, and Constantine erected a church in her honor. St. Agnes, who died in 304, was venerated as a holy martyr from the fourth century onward. She’s Patron Saint of girls, virgins, children, Affianced couples; betrothed couples; bodily purity; chastity; Children of Mary; Colegio Capranica of Rome; crops; engaged couples; gardeners; Girl Scouts; rape victims; diocese of Rockville Centre, New York.

ST. AGNES PRAYER FOR PROTECTION OF THE YOUNG: O Little St. Agnes, so young and yet made so strong and wise by the power of God, protect by your prayers all the young people of every place whose goodness and purity are threatened by the evils and impurities of this world. Give them strength in temptation and a true repentance when they fail. Help them to find true Christian friends to accompany them in following the Lamb of God and finding safe pastures in His Church and in her holy sacraments. May you lead us to the wedding banquet of heaven to rejoice with you and all the holy virgin martyrs in Christ who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen🙏

PRAYER: All-powerful and ever-living God, You choose the weak in this world to confound the powerful. As we celebrate the anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Agnes, may we like her remain constant in Faith. Amen🙏

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 Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we continue to pray for all those who are sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other 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 an end to wars, political and religious unrest. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. 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:

Lord of true fulfillment, You and You alone are the source of the fullness of life. I believe that with all my heart. Please give me the grace I need to reject all temptations in life and to cling only to Your holy Word and the grace given to all who follow You. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Mother Mary, Our Lady of Altagracia and Saint Agnes ~ 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 we begin this Ordinary Time. Wishing all of us a most blessed, safe, healthy, prosperous and grace-filled New Year and Sunday. Amen🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖