HOLY SATURDAY OF THE HOLY TRIDUUM, EASTER VIGIL, MARCH 30, 2024
DIVINE MERCY NOVENA: Novena in preparation for DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY. Good Friday is the first day of the Divine Mercy Novena. Novena begins on Good Friday, March 29, 2024 and ends, Saturday, April 6, 2024 (Novena Links below)
Greetings beloved family and Happy Holy Saturday of the Easter Triduum. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all as we wait in anticipation for the resurrection of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ đ
Watch “EASTER VIGIL MASS PRESIDED BY POPE FRANCIS” | LIVE FROM THE VATICAN | March 30, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | March 30, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | March 30, 2024 |
Pray “Solemn Novena of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy – Day 2 | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | Holy Saturday, March 30, 2024 |
https://www.youtube.com/l/CvReZx7U9Iw?si=u4Lu4NNYX2T3kQey
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteriels VIRTUALđšJOYFULđšLUMINOUSđšSORROWFULđšGLORIOUS” on YouTube |
Today’s Bible Readings: Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil, March 30, 2024
Reading 1, Genesis 1:1-2:2
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 118:1-2, 16, 17, 22-23
Reading 2, Genesis 22:1-18
Gospel, Mark 16:1-8
NOVENA IN PREPARATION FOR DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY: Novena begins on Good Friday, March 29, 2024 and ends, Saturday, April 6, 2024
DAY 2: Today, Holy Saturday is the second day of the Divine Mercy Novena | EWTN | Links ~ https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-13366
~ https://divinemercy.life/the-divine-mercy-novena
How to Recite the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy | The Divine Mercy
https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/pray-the-chaplet
40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Day Forty: Hopeful Anticipation | Holy Saturday | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/day-forty-hopeful-anticipation/
40 Days at the foot of the Cross. A Gaze of Love from the Heart of our Blessed Mother Mary | Day Forty â The Silence of the Tomb | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-at-the-foot-of-the-cross/day-forty-the-silence-of-the-tomb/
A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, In Micah 6:8, You say, âO people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.â Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by Your Holy Spirit and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen đ
God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I come to the end of this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amenđ
LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.
For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards
Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the âpaschal fastâ to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MARCH: MONTH OF SAINT JOSEPH: âHis was the title of father of the Son of God, because he was the Spouse of Mary, ever Virgin. He was our Lordâs father, because Jesus ever yielded to him the obedience of a son. He was our Lordâs father, because to him were entrusted, and by him were faithfully fulfilled, the duties of a father, in protecting Him, giving Him a home, sustaining and rearing Him, and providing Him with a tradeâÂ
THE POPEâS MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH – For the new Martyrs: We pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world inflame the Church with their courage and missionary enthusiasm.
During this Liturgical season of Lent, we continue to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in His death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind.
On this special feast day, as we come to the end of our Lenten journey, 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 remember our beloved, 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 đ âď¸đŻâď¸đŻâď¸đŻ
During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, 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 đ
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. Amenđ
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 đ
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
HOLY SATURDAY OF THEÂ EASTER TRIDUUM: On Holy Saturday the Church mourns and waits at the Lord’s tomb in prayer and fasting, meditating on Christâs Passion and Death. On this day Jesus descended triumphantly into Hades (called the âharrowing of hellâ) and brought salvation to the righteous souls held captive there who awaited their promised Messiah, as recited in the Apostleâs Creed. The Church abstains from the Sacrifice of the Mass, with the sacred table left bare during the day as Jesus is still in the tomb until after the solemn Vigil. Holy Communion may only be given on this day as Viaticum. On the night of Holy Saturday the Church celebrates the Vigil of Easter Sunday, the anticipation by night of the Resurrection, when the time comes for paschal joys, the abundance which overflows to occupy fifty days. Easter Vigil is a traditional time when the Sacraments of Initiation are given to new members of the Church.
Holy Saturday (from Sabbatum Sanctum, its official liturgical name) is sacred as the day of the Lord’s rest; it has been called the “Second Sabbath” after creation. The day is and should be the most calm and quiet day of the entire Church year, a day broken by no liturgical function. Christ lies in the grave, the Church sits near and mourns. After the great battle He is resting in peace, but upon Him we see the scars of intense sufferingâŚThe mortal wounds on His Body remain visibleâŚJesus’ enemies are still furious, attempting to obliterate the very memory of the Lord by lies and slander.
Our Blessed Mother Mary and the disciples are grief-stricken, while the Church must mournfully admit that too many of her children return home from Calvary cold and hard of heart. When Mother Church reflects upon all of this, it seems as if the wounds of her dearly Beloved were again beginning to bleed.
According to tradition, the entire body of the Church is represented in Mary: she is the “credentium collectio universa” (Congregation for Divine Worship, Lettera circolare sulla preparazione e celebrazione delle feste pasquali, 73). Thus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, as she waits near the Lord’s tomb, as she is represented in Christian tradition, is an icon of the Virgin Church keeping vigil at the tomb of her Spouse while awaiting the celebration of His resurrection. The pious exercise of the Ora di Maria is inspired by this intuition of the relationship between the Virgin Mary and the Church: while the body of her Son lays in the tomb and his soul has descended to the dead to announce liberation from the shadow of darkness to his ancestors, the Blessed Virgin Mary, foreshadowing and representing the Church, awaits, in faith, the victorious triumph of her Son over death.
PRAYER MEDITATION FOR HOLY SATURDAY: My Lord, today all is silent. Â You have given Your precious life for the salvation of the world. Â You died a horrific death, poured out all Mercy from Your wounded Heart, and now You rest in peace in the tomb as the soldiers keep vigil. Lord, may I also keep vigil with You as You sleep. Â I know that this day ends with Your glorious triumph, Your victory over sin and death. Â But for now I sit quietly mourning Your death. Help me, dear Lord, to enter into the sorrow and the silence of this Holy Saturday. Â Today no Sacraments are celebrated. Â Today the world waits in mourning in anticipation of the glory of new life! Â
As I keep vigil, awaiting the celebration of Your Resurrection, fill me with hope. Help me to look forward to the celebration of Your Resurrection, but also to look forward to the hope of my own share in the new life You won for the world. I entrust my whole being to You, dear Lord, as You lay lifeless and still. May Your rest transform the brokenness of my own soul, my weaknesses, my sin and my frailty. You are glorious and You bring the greatest good out of Your apparent defeat. I trust in Your power to do all things and I entrust my life to You. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amenđ
From the Byzantine Matins of Great & Holy Saturday: âToday the one who holds all creation in his hand is himself held in the tomb, a rock covers the One who covered the heavens with beauty, Life has fallen asleep, Hades is seized with fear, and Adam is freed from his bonds. Glory to your work of salvation; through it you have accomplished the eternal Sabbath rest, and You grant us the gift of your holy resurrection.âđ
Our Mother Mary kept vigil on Holy Saturday in prayerful anticipation of Jesusâ resurrection.
PRAYER: Dearest Mother Mary, on that first Holy Saturday, you kept vigil for your Son. You allowed the divine gift of hope to grow within you, and you allowed that hope to be your strength in the midst of the horror of the Cross. Pray for me that I may ponder your beautiful heart this day so that I, too, may be filled with hope as I endure the challenges of this earthly life. Give me a heart of joyful anticipation as I await the grace of new life our Lord so deeply desires to bestow upon me. Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I do trust in You⌠Amenđ
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, Holy Saturday of the Holy Triduum, Easter Vigil | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Mark 16:1-7
Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified, has been raised
“When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, âWho will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?â When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large. On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, âDo not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples and Peter, âHe is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.ââ
POPE FRANCIS- EASTER VIGIL HOMILY (Delivered at the Vatican on March 30, 2024)
“The women go to the tomb at daybreak, yet they still feel the darkness of night. They continue to walk, yet their hearts remain at the foot of the cross. The tears of Good Friday are not yet dried; they are grief-stricken, overwhelmed by the sense that all has been said and done. A stone has sealed the fate of Jesus. They are concerned about that stone, for they wonder: âWho will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?â (Mk 16:3). Yet once they arrive, they are taken aback when they see the amazing power of the Easter event: âWhen they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled backâ (Mk 16:4).
Let us stop and reflect on these two moments, which bring us to the unexpected joy of Easter. The woman anxiously wonder: Who will roll away the stone from the tomb? Then, looking up, they see that it had already been rolled back.
First, there is the question that troubles their grieving hearts: Who will roll away the stone from the tomb? That stone marked the end of Jesusâ story, now buried in the night of death. He, the life that came into the world, had been killed. He, who proclaimed the merciful love of the Father, had met with no mercy. He, who relieved sinners of the burden of their condemnation, had been condemned to the cross. The Prince of Peace, who freed a woman caught in adultery from a vicious stoning, now lay buried behind a great stone. That stone, an overwhelming obstacle, symbolized what the women felt in their hearts. It represented the end of their hopes, now dashed by the obscure and sorrowful mystery that put an end to their dreams.
Brothers and sisters, it can also be that way with us. There are times when we may feel that a great stone blocks the door of our hearts, stifling life, extinguishing hope, imprisoning us in the tomb of our fears and regrets, and standing in the way of joy and hope. We encounter such âtombstonesâ on our journey through life in all the experiences and situations that rob us of enthusiasm and of the strength to persevere. We encounter them at times of sorrow: in the emptiness left by the death of our loved ones, in the failures and fears that hold us back from accomplishing the good we mean to do. We encounter them in all the forms of self-absorption that stifle our impulses to generosity and sincere love, in the rubber walls of selfishness and indifference that hold us back in the effort to build more just and humane cities and societies, in all our aspirations for peace that are shattered by cruel hatred and the brutality of war. When we experience these disappointments, do we also have the sensation that all these dreams are doomed to failure, and that we too should ask ourselves in anguish: âWho will roll away the stone from the tomb?â
Yet the same women who bore this darkness in their hearts tell us something quite extraordinary. When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. This is the Pasch of Christ, the revelation of Godâs power: the victory of life over death, the triumph of light over darkness, the rebirth of hope amid the ruins of failure. It is the Lord, the God of the impossible, who rolled away the stone forever. Even now, he opens our tombs, so that hope may be born ever anew. We too, then, should âlook upâ to him.
Let us look up, then, to Jesus. After assuming our humanity, he descended into the depths of death and filled them with the power of his divine life, allowing an infinite ray of light to break through for each of us. Raised up by the Father in his, and our, flesh, in the power of the Holy Spirit, he turned a new page in the history of the human race. Henceforth, if we allow Jesus to take us by the hand, no experience of failure or sorrow, however painful, will have the last word on the meaning and destiny of our lives. Henceforth, if we allow ourselves to be raised up by the Risen Lord, no setback, no suffering, no death will be able to halt our progress towards the fullness of life. Henceforth, âwe Christians proclaim that this history⌠has meaning, an all-embracing meaning⌠a meaning no longer tainted by absurdity and shadows⌠a meaning that we call God⌠All the waters of our transformation converge on him; they do not pour down into the depths of nothingness and absurdity⌠For his tomb is empty and the One who died has now been revealed as the Living One.”
Brothers and sisters, Jesus is our Pasch. He is the One who brings us from darkness into light, who is bound to us forever, who rescues us from the abyss of sin and death, and draws us into the radiant realm of forgiveness and eternal life. Let us look up to him! Let us welcome Jesus, the God of life, into our lives, and today once again say âyesâ to him. Then no stone will block the way to our hearts, no tomb will suppress the joy of life, no failure will doom us to despair. Let us lift our eyes to him and ask that the power of his resurrection may roll away the heavy stones that weigh down our souls. Let us lift our eyes to him, the Risen Lord, and press forward in the certainty that, against the obscure backdrop of our failed hopes and our deaths, the eternal life that he came to bring is even now present in our midst.
Sister, brother, let your heart burst with jubilation on this holy night! Together let us sing of Jesusâ resurrection: âSing to him, distant lands, rivers and plains, deserts and mountains ⌠Sing to the Lord of life, risen from the tomb, more brilliant than a thousand suns. All peoples beset by evil and plagued by injustice, all peoples displaced and devastated: on this holy night cast aside your songs of sadness and despair. The Man of Sorrows is no longer in prison: he has opened a breach in the wall; he is hastening to meet you. In the darkness, let an unexpected shout of joy resound: He is alive; he is risen! And you, my brothers and sisters, small and great ⌠you who are weary of life, who feel unworthy to sing⌠let a new flame be kindled in your heart, let new vitality be heard in your voice. It is the Pasch of the Lord; it is the feast of the living.”
Today’s Gospel reading according to Mark gives an account of the finding of the empty tomb. That note of faithfulness sounds very strongly there. Two days earlier, according to St. Mark, all Jesusâ disciples deserted him, and Peter had denied him three times. Yet, the word of the young man from the empty tomb to the women was, âGo and tell His disciples and Peter, âHe is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see him, just as He told youââ. The risen Lord would meet His disciples in the same place where He had first met them and called them, and where they first responded to Him. There, he would renew his call and they could renew their response. Easter proclaims a faithful Lord who goes ahead of us, in times of failure and death, and who is constantly offering us opportunities to make a new beginning. Easter was a moment of new beginning, not only for Jesus, but for His followers. Easter is a moment of new beginning for all of us. It is an invitation to all of us to make a new beginning on our journey of faith.The risen Lord keeps calling us back to the beginning of our relationship with Him. When was our beginning? It was the moment of our baptism. That is why we renew our baptismal promises at Easter. Baptism was the beginning of our resurrection life. We were baptised into the Lordâs risen life. We donât always allow the Lord to live out his risen life in and through us, and, so we too need to keep going back to the beginning. Just as the risen Lord went before His disciples to Galilee, so He is always going before us, calling us back to our beginnings. At Easter we do not only celebrate what God has done for Jesus; we celebrate what God has done for all of us, because in raising His Son from the dead to a new and more vibrant life, God has lifted us all, God has raised us all up. If Jesus had not been raised, everything would have ended at Calvary. There would have been no community of believers, no church, no preaching of the Gospel, no gospel to preach. In raising His Son from the dead, God authenticated, vindicated, everything Jesus said and did. It is because of Jesusâ resurrection that His life His death have come to mean so much to us. Tonight, we remind ourselves that we are an Easter people, whose song is âAlleluiaâ. As an Easter people, we commit again to following in the footsteps of the risen Lord who is always going ahead of us and calling us in His love.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, let us all not forget that all of the wounds and pain suffered by the Lord, are all of our sins, our evils, wickedness and unworthy actions, words and deeds. Each and every one of our iniquities are what causing the Lord all the wounds and hurts He experienced. As we recall the reading of Our Lordâs Passion, everything that He had done for our sake, let us be abashed and humbled, and reminded of just how wicked and sinful we had been. Let us commit ourselves to follow the Lord faithfully once again, and reject the wickedness of the world. Let us all seek the Lord with all of our might and focus our attention on Him, remembering His Passion and His love for us, which He has given us most generously from His Cross. And as we behold the Holy Cross of Christ, let us all remember that through the Cross, all of us have been brought into triumph in the great struggle against sin, evil and death. Now, let us all continue our faithful observance of the Easter Triduum, by keeping our focus on the Lord, our Crucified Christ, Who has died for us. Let us always remember that He did not remain in death, but rose gloriously in His Resurrection, conquering and defeating death in His wake. Through Christ, let us all therefore come ever closer to God and His salvation, and may all of us continue to grow ever stronger in faith and commitment, in our desire to love God and to follow Him wholeheartedly at all times. Therefore, just as we pray today for our catechumens and all those who are going to be welcomed into the Church, let us all remind ourselves of our own journey as Christians, that each and every one of us will continue to go forth, ever joyfully proclaiming the Lord and His truth, His love and salvation to all the whole world through our lives, through our every actions, words and deeds. Let us all be truly good and worthy disciples and followers of the Lord, by doing His will and by continuing the great works which He has entrusted to us through His Church. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may we all be exemplary Christians, as good and faithful disciples of Our Lord at all times. May the Risen Lord be with us all and continue to love us and grant us His grace. May He bless our every actions, efforts and endeavours, and all for His greater glory, now and always. Alleluia! Amen!đ
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ MARCH 30, 2024: MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN CLIMACUS, ABBOT AND BLESSED MARIA RESTITUTA KAFKA, MARTYR AND SAINT FERGUS OF SCOTLAND, BISHOP
Today, as we wait in anticipation for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint John Climacus; Abbot, honored by Holy Church as a great ascetic and author of the renowned spiritual book called THE LADDER; and Blessed Maria Restituta Kafka, Martyr, known as a protector of the poor and oppressed and Saint Fergus of Scotland, Bishop, a missionary to Scotland. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the poor, the needy and those who are marginalized and suffering in situations of conflict in our world, we pray for persecuted Christians and all Christians during this season of Lent, as we reflect on the final journey of Jesus during this Holy Weekđ
SAINT JOHN CLIMACUS, ABBOT: St. John (579-649), called Climacus from his book THE LADDER (Climax) OF PARADISE, also known as John of the Ladder, John Scholasticus and John Sinaites, was a 6thâ7th-century Christian monk at the monastery on Mount Sinai. St. John Climacus was a learned abbot and great spiritual director. He was born about the year 579 at Syria. At the age of sixteen he renounced all worldly goods to dedicate himself to God in the religious state. For forty years he lived as a solitary in his hermitage at the foot of Mount Sinai. At the age of sixty-five St. John was persecuted by the monks of Sinai to become their hegumen, he was chosen Abbot of Mount Sinai and superior-general of all the monks and hermits in the region. He was chosen as Abbot of Mount Sinai by a unanimous vote of the Sinai religious, who said they had placed the light upon its lampstand. On the day of his installation, six hundred pilgrims came to Saint Catherine’s Monastery, and he performed all the offices of an excellent hotel-master; but at the hour of dinner, he could not be found to share the meal with them. This holy Abbot never sought either glory or fame. He endeavored to hide the natural and supernatural gifts with which he was endowed, in order to better practice humility. He acquitted himself of his functions as abbot with the greatest wisdom, and his reputation spread so far that, according to history, Pope St. Gregory the Great, who was then Pope, wrote to recommend himself to his prayers, and sent him monetary gifts for his hospital near Mount Sinai, in which the pilgrims lodged.
St. Johnâs famous work, the Climax (The Ladder of Paradise or The Ladder of Divine Ascent), was written in 600 AD only in deference to the will of another, at the request of John, Abbot of Raithu, a monastery located on the shores of the Red Sea. It is a spiritual treatise consisting of concise sentences, and affording several examples that illustrate the monastic life of that period. The Ladder describes how to raise one’s soul and body to God through the acquisition of ascetic virtues, it describes the thirty degrees to religious perfection. St. John Climacus uses the analogy of Jacob’s Ladder as the framework for his spiritual teaching. Originally written simply for the monks of a neighboring monastery, the Ladder swiftly became one of the most widely read and much-beloved books of Byzantine spirituality. The Saint governed the monastery of Mount Sinai for four years, sighing constantly under the weight of his dignity, which he resigned shortly before his death. Heavenly contemplation and the continual exercise of divine love and praise were his delight and comfort in his earthly pilgrimage. On March 30, 649, at about the age of 70 at Mount Sinai, the blessed life of this great Saint, St. John of Climacus came to an end in the hermitage that had witnessed his uninterrupted communing with God. From the time he entered the monastic state, St. John had earnestly applied himself to root out of his heart self-complacency in his actions; he practiced silence as a means of acquiring humility, and he made it a rule never to contradict, never to dispute with anyone. He appeared to have no will of his own, so great was his submission.
“God rests within gentle hearts. The gentle and merciful shall sit fearless in His regions, and will inherit Heavenly glory.â ~ St John Climacus.
PRAYER:Â Lord, amid the things of this world, let us be wholeheartedly committed to heavenly things in imitation of the example of evangelical perfection You have given us in St. John the Abbot. Amen. St. John of Climacus ~ Pray for usđ
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BLESSED MARIA RESTITUTA KAFKA, MARTYR: Blessed Maria (1894-1943) was an Austrian nurse of Czech descent and religious sister of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity (Sorores Franciscanae a Caritate Christiana). She was condemned to death under the Nazis for her opposition to the regime. Blessed Maria was born on May 1, 1894, Husovice, Austria-Hungarian Empire (now part of Brno, Czech Republic). She was born and baptized Helena Kafka to a shoemaker father and when she was very young, in 1896 Helena’s family moved permanently to Vienna, the capital of Austria, and she grew up in the bustling city. As a young woman, at the exciting turn of the twentieth century, Helena found work in Vienna first as a salesclerk, and in 1913 she started to work at the hospital in Lainz as unskilled nursing assistant and nurses could thus observe up close and then worked as a nurse. While working as a nurse in the hospital, she came into contact with the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity. Despite being surrounded by the glamor and comforts of city life as a young woman, Helena was attracted to these religious sisters’ simple and self-giving way of life. Helena joined their community at the age of 20, taking the name Maria Restituta after an early Christian martyr.
As the brightness of the new century faded into the horror of war, Bl. Maria continued to serve as a nurse in the hospital during World War I. Eventually, in 1919 through her skill and dedication, Bl. Maria became the head surgical nurse at her hospital. When the nationalist-socialist regime came to power and the Germans took over the country, in the inter-war years of the 1930’s, Bl. Maria Restituta was not afraid to speak out against it. She became a local opponent of the Nazi regime. When the hospital built a new wing, Bl. Maria placed a crucifix inside every room. Her conflict with the Nazi government escalated after they ordered her to remove all the crucifixes she had hung up in each room of a new hospital wing, but Bl. Maria refused. Clearly, a principled, stubborn woman was going to be an obstacle, so the Nazis made up their minds to remove her. The Nazis wanted to arrest her but were prevented from doing so immediately because Bl. Maria was so indispensable to the hospital. A doctor who supported the Nazis eventually betrayed Bl. Maria and handed her over to them on a trumped-up false charge. In 1942, as Bl. Maria was coming out of an operation, she was arrested by the Nazi Secret police (Gestapo). She was sentenced to death for “aiding and abetting the enemy in the betrayal of the fatherland and for plotting high treason.â Bl. Maria was given the choice to renounce her religious community, the Franciscan Sisters and thus to spare her life. She declined. She spent the rest of her days in prison caring for other prisoners, who loved her. The Nazis beheaded Blessed Maria Restituta Kafka on March 30, 1943 in Vienna, Nazi Germany at the age of only 48. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on June 21, 1998.
In one of St. Maria’s letters from that time, she wrote: âIt does not matter how far we are separated from everything, no matter what is taken from us: the faith that we carry in our hearts is something no one can take from us. In this way, we build an altar in our own hearts.” “I have lived for Christ: I want to die for Christ.” ~ Blessed Maria Restituta Kafka
Blessed Maria Restituta Kafka, staunch in the face of Nazi occupation and a culture of death ~ Pray for us!đ
SAINT FERGUS OF SCOTLAND, BISHOP: St. Fergus of Scotland (d. 730 A.D.), also known as St. Fergustian, Fergus the Pict, or Fergus Cruithneach, Bishop of the Gaels, was a bishop serving in the north of Scotland. Little is known of his life. He is believed to have been trained as a bishop in Ireland, ministering there for many years before traveling as a missionary to Scotland. He went throughout the Scottish countryside preaching the Gospel, setting up churches dedicated to St. Patrick of Ireland, and working to convert the pagan people to Christianity. According to the Breviary of Aberdeen, he had been a bishop for many years in Ireland when he came on a mission to Alba with some chosen priests and other clerics. He settled first near Strageath, in the present parish of Upper Strathearn, in Upper Perth, erected three churches in that district. The churchs of Strageath, Blackford, and Dolpatrick are found there today dedicated to St. Patrick. He next evangelized Caithness and established there the churches of Wick and Halkirk. Thence he crossed to Buchan in Aberdeenshire and founded a church at Lungley, a village now called St. Fergus. Lastly, he established a church at Glammis in Forfarshire.
He went to Rome to St. Peter’s Basilica to participate in the Council of Rome in 721 A.D. and was present with Sedulius and twenty other bishops at a synod in the basilica of St. Peter, convened by Gregory II. He died around the year 730 A.D. and is buried in Glammis, Angus, in Scotland. Nearby is St. Fergus’ Well. The site is believed to be where St. Fergus presided over religious services before the first church of Glammis was built. His remains deposited in the church of Glammis were the object of much veneration in the Middle Ages. The Abbot of Scone transferred his head to Scone church, and encased it in a costly shrine there is an entry in the accounts of the treasurer of James IV, October, 1503, ” An offerand of 13 shillings to Sanct Fergus’ heide in Scone”. St. Fergus is the Patron Saint of the churches of Wick, Glammis, and Lungley. His festival is recorded in the Martyrology of Tallaght for the 8th of September but seems to have been observed in Scotland on the 18th of November. His feast day is March 30th.
St. Fergus of Scotland, Bishop ~ Pray for usđ
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 and as we come to the end of our Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, 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 the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted 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 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 peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. 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. 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. Amenđ
Let us pray:
Dearest Mother Mary, on that first Holy Saturday, you kept vigil for your Son. You allowed the divine gift of hope to grow within you, and you allowed that hope to be your strength in the midst of the horror of the Cross. Pray for me that I may ponder your beautiful heart this day so that I, too, may be filled with hope as I endure the challenges of this earthly life. Give me a heart of joyful anticipation as I await the grace of new life our Lord so deeply desires to bestow upon me. Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I do trust in You ~ Amen đ
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint John Climacus; Blessed Maria Restituta Kafka, Martyr and Saint Fergus of Scotland ~ Pray for usđ
Thanking God for the gift of His Son our Lord Jesus Christ and praying for us all on this Holy Saturday as we wait in anticipation for the resurrection of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Have a blessed, safe and grace-filled Holy Saturdayđ
Blessings and Love always, Philomenađ
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