FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 30, 2024
FEAST OF OUR LADY OF AFRICA
MEMORIAL OF SAINT PIUS V, POPE; SAINT MARIE OF THE INCARNATION AND SAINT JOSEPH BENEDICT COTTOLENGO, FOUNDER
Greetings, beloved family and Happy Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter!
As we continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank God for the gift of life and for bringing us successfully to the end of the month of April. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this season of Easter and alwaysš
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN | April 30, 2024” | https://www.youtube.com/live/WLZY5_pZNaE?si=VZIM3CspiaKfiEr5
Pray “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 30, 2024 | https://www.youtube.com/live/tGMl0Tv_K5U?si=mIcfOPe3dOol83Vs
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | April 30, 2024 | https://youtu.be/7UD8JN3lsfo?si=pX-RGHkmeDJn427c
Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 30, 2024 | https://youtu.be/S_Ey9Iy96wU?si=1Z5RPf8USEOJrLE5
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 30, 2024 | https://youtu.be/bNSydhT-xFw?si=BGhnlo5silXK-9Mi
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteriels VIRTUALš¹JOYFULš¹LUMINOUSš¹SORROWFULš¹GLORIOUS” on YouTube | https://youtu.be/QAZKMbwZrEQ
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) | https://youtu.be/vVc782kcDds
Today’s Bible Readings: Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Reading 1,Ā Acts 14:19-28
Responsorial Psalm,Ā Psalms 145:10-11, 12-13, 21
Gospel,Ā John 14:27-31
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF APRIL – MONTH OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST: The month of April is traditionally dedicated to devotion to Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches that the Blessed Sacrament is the real and living presence of ChristāHis Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinityāreceived into our souls with every reception of Holy Communion. Our Eucharistic Lord is the source and summit of our Christian life, the ultimate proof of His infinite love for us.
THE POPEāS MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL – FOR THE ROLE OF WOMEN: We pray that the dignity and immense value of women be recognized in every culture, and for the end of discrimination that they experience in different parts of the world. š
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 buriedā¦ 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! Amenš
During this Easter season, 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 š
On this special feast day, as we continue to celebrate our risen Lord, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the Clergy and religious as they serve in the Lordās Vineyard. We also 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 Christā¦ Amen š āļøšÆāļøšÆāļøšÆ
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. Amenš
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST OF OUR LADY OF AFRICA AND THE MEMORIAL OF SAINT PIUS V, POPE; SAINT MARIE OF THE INCARNATION AND SAINT JOSEPH BENEDICT COTTOLENGO, FOUNDER: APRIL 30TH: As we continue to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, today, we celebrate the Feast of our Lady of Africa and the Memorial of Saint Pius, Pope; Saint Marie of the Incarnation and Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, Founder. During this Easter season, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of Africa and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families,Ā for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. We pray for the poor and needy. Every life is a gift. And we continue to pray for the sick, we particularly pray for those suffering from cancers and those who are terminally ill and dying. May God in His infinite grace and mercy grant them His divine healing and intervention. 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 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. 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. Amenš
OUR LADY OF AFRICA: Extract fromĀ Shrines of Our Lady: āThe first Bishop of Algiers, after the conquest of the country by the French in the beginning of the 19th century, was without a church, funds or residence and was surrounded by Muslems whose hostility was evident and whose friendship had to be won. The Bishop returned to Lyon and related his distress at the Convent of the Religious of the Sacred Heart; his appeal was spread and he did not have long to wait before he was offered, by the Sodality of Our Lady, a bronze statue of the Immaculate Conception. It was the express desire of the donors that this dark-hued statue should be considered the Protectress of the Mohammedans and the Negroes. Though Our Lady of Africaās abode is a Catholic church, she is venerated by Mohammedan men and women as much as she is by Christians. Every day, one can see kneeling Mohammedans who have come to ask Lala Meriem, as they call the Blessed Virgin, for her special favors.ā
Although Islamized and shaken by bloody violence, Algeria, an ancient Christian and Marian land, a land of martyrs’ is still entrusted to Our Lady of Africa. Muslims too respect the Blessed Virgin Miriam, the Holy Mother of Jesus. And along with Christians still today many Muslims come to pray and lay flowers in front of the statue of the Blessed Virgin in this great Basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Africa where underneath the main altar lies the inscription: āOur Lady of Africa pray for us and for all Muslimsā. Our Lady of Africa is the Patron Saint of Africa.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amenš
PRAYER: Our Lady of Africa, Queen of Peace, obtain the gift of peace for all nations torn apart by hatred, resentment and racism. May your Sonās law of Love win over and unite all hearts, so that together we may sing the Glory of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spiritā¦Amen.š
Mary, Our Mother of Africa, hear the drumbeat of our prayers. May Your Son Jesus continue to bring us joy, receive our tensions, and forgive us our sins. Help us to walk in His light. Help us to help others do the same. And bring us to life everlasting with the Holy Saints and Angelsā¦ Amenš
SAINT PIUS V, POPE: St. Pius V, was Pope and ruler of the PapalĀ State from January 8,1566 to his death on May 1, 1572. He was the Father of a universal family, the Catholic Church. He protected the familyās unity with all his considerable skills and virtues, and left a highly united, disciplined Church as his legacy. He was one of the foremost leaders of the Catholic Reformation. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman Rite within the Latin Church.Ā
Pope St. Pius V (1504ā1572) was born as Antonio Ghislieri on January 17, 1504, Bosco Marengo, Italy to a poor yet noble family in Bosco, Italy. He worked as a shepherd until the age of 14, after which he joined the Dominican Order and was ordained a priest at the age of 24. He taught theology and philosophy, spent long hours in prayer, and fasted regularly. Due to his great intelligence and reputation for holiness he rose to a number of prominent positions in the Church, including Inquisitor and Bishop. In 1566 he was elected Pope and took the name Pope Pius V. As Supreme Pontiff he was a great reformer and worked to implement the decisions of the Council of Trent following the Protestant revolt. He reformed the clergy, supported the foreign missions, published a catechism, revised the breviary and missal, and named St. Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of the Church. The Holy League famously defeated the Ottomans at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. In his alliance with Venice and Spain, and with the aid of a rosary crusade among the faithful, he defeated the Ottoman Turks in the famous and decisive Battle of Lepanto in the Mediterranean sea on October 7, 1571. This miraculous victory saved Europe from being ruled by the Ottoman Empire. Pope Pius V attributed the victory to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Father afterwards instituted the feast of Our Lady of Victory (now Our Lady of the Rosary) in thanksgiving to Our Lady for leading the Christian forces to victory, and to encourage a greater devotion to the Holy Rosary throughout the universal Church. For this he is known as the “Pope of the Rosary.” Pope Pius V died on May 1, 1572, Rome, Italy. He was beatified by Pope Clement on May 1, 1672, and Pope Clement XI canonized him on May 22, 1712. He’s the Patron Saint of Valletta Malta, Bosco Marengo, Italy, Pietrelcina, Italy, Roccaforte Mondovi, Diocese of Alessandria.
Some of the famous teachings and quotes of Pope Pius V which still persist and are preserved include:
- All the evils of the world are due to lukewarm Catholics.
ā¢The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth. - O Lord, increase my sufferings and my patience!
- You are the salt of the earth! You are the light of the world! See to it that the people are edified by your example, by the purity of your lives, by the moderation of your conduct, and the brilliance of your holiness! God does not ask of you mere ordinary virtue. He demands downright perfection!
- In union with the perfect confidence and hope that the Holy and Blessed Virgin placed in Thee, do I hope O Lord.
- I know very well that I am dealing with men, not with angels.
PRAYER: Saint Pius V, your dedication to the truth showed itself in your pristine holiness, unity of life, and defense of doctrine. From your home in heaven, assist all theologians and leaders of the Church to be as concerned as you were for the unity of Godās family on earth.š
God, You providently raised up St. Pius in Your Church for the defense of the Faith and for more suitable Divine worship. Through his intercession, help us to participate in Your mysteries with a livelier Faith and a more fruitful loveā¦ Amenš
SAINT MARIE OF THE INCARNATION, RELIGIOUS: St. Marie (October 28, 1599 – April 30, 1672) was the first woman missionary to North America. She was anĀ UrsulineĀ nunĀ of the French order. As part of a group of nuns sent toĀ New FranceĀ to establish the Ursuline Order, Marie was crucial in the spread ofĀ CatholicismĀ in New France. She wrote extensively about pioneer life in what later became Quebec, Canada. Moreover, she has been credited with founding the first girlsā school in the New World. Hundreds of her French letters were published in Europe during her life and for centuries later. St. Marie of the Incarnation was born Marie Guyart in Tours, France, on October 28,1599, the fourth child of a family of eight children. She was attracted to liturgy and prayer and recounted that she had a mystical experience when she was seven. At age fourteen she asked her parents to let her join the Benedictine nuns of Beaumont Abbey but they did not allow her to do so. Instead they had her marry Claude Martin, a master silk worker, when she was eighteen. Two years later they had a son whom they names Claude, but the husband died soon after leaving Marie a widow. She lived with her parents for a year and then went to live with her sister and bother-in-law, Paul Buisson to help them run their busy household. She continued to want to follow a religious life, but could not do so until she raised her young son, Claude. When he was 12 she left him in the care of her sister and entered the Ursuline convent in Tours in 1631. As a nun she had a religious vision which reinforced her spiritual devotion.
St. Marie was inspired by the life of the Spanish mystic Teresa of Avila and also read some early parts of the Jesuit Relations which were circulating in France. She began a correspondence with the Jesuits in New France and found that they were supportive of having religious women coming to help them with the missions and the Christianization of Huron women. Later she wrote about having a mystical experience about going to the missions in Canada. She could not get support or funding from her religious superiors or her family to make a trip to the New World. In 1639 Marie met Madeline de la Peltrie, a devout aristocratic woman who planned to use her inheritance to fund the voyage to New France and the establishment of a convent and school there. Later that year the two women along with two other Ursuline nuns, Marie de St. Joseph, Cecile de Sainte Croix, a lay helper, three nursing sister and two Jesuit fathers sailed for the colony of Quebec. In 1642 the group of women moved from temporary shelter in lower town of Quebec to a permanent stone building in the upper part of town and established the first school in North America. Their work with the Indigenous people had many challenges not only because of the differences between the European methods and the customs of the local Native groups, but also because of smallpox outbreaks, and the battles between the French, the Huron and the Iroquois. The nuns quickly learn the different Indigenous languages (letter 56). After working in New France for 33 years Marie died of liver disease on April 30, 1672 at age 72.
In later centuries the Ursuline Monastery grew into a large complex of buildings and was designated a National Historic Site by the Government of Canada. The hundreds of letters that she wrote back to France and which were later published make her the most important eyewitnesses in the early history of Quebec and Canada. There are several editions of her letters translated into English. Due to her work, the Catholic Church declared her a saint, and the Anglican Church of Canada celebrates her with a feast day. She was Beatified on June 22, 1980, Vatican City, by Pope John Paul II and Canonized on April 3, 2014, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City by Pope Francis.
PRAYER: O God, who raised up blessed Marie of the Incarnation in your Church to show others the way of salvation, grant us, by her example, so to follow Christ the master, that we may come with our neighbor into your presence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and everā¦ Amenš
SAINT JOSEPH BENEDICT COTTOLENGO, FOUNDER: Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo or Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo (May 3, 1786 – April 30, 1842) was the founder ofĀ the Little House of Divine Providence. He was born on May 3, 1786 at Bra in Piedmont, Italy. As a secular priest in Turin, he showed a special concern for the sick poor, receiving them into a small house. This Little House of Divine Providence, theĀ Piccola Casa, as he called it, was the beginning of an entire city of more than 7,000 poor persons, orphans, sick and lame, retarded, penitents, served by several religious Orders. These were distinguished by their names and their religious habits, each group being dedicated to a specific work they were assigned to do. And of thisĀ Piccola Casa, as it is still called, one can say what Saint Gregory Nazienzen said in his funeral eulogy of his friend Saint Basil’s large hospital:Ā Go a little way outside the city and se, in this new city storehouses of piety, the common treasure of the owners, where a surplus of wealth has been laid up, where sickness is borne with patience, misfortune is considered happiness, and compassion is efficaciously practiced.
For this ever more pressing work, the Saint founded fourteen religious communities which today are still very widespread, especially in Italy. Among them were some which were purely contemplative; the life of prayer its members led was destined to draw down upon the others the blessing of heaven, thus completing by a spiritual work of mercy the corporal works exercised there. These religious prayed in particular for those who have the greatest need of assistance, the dying and the deceased. The Saint trusted totally in the infinite kindness of God, and as one of his friends said, he had more confidence in God than did the entire city of Turin. When he was asked about the source of his revenues, he answered, Providence sends me everything.
Confidence in God did not, however, cause him to cross his arms and observe. He slept only a few hours, often on a chair or bench, and then returned to his daily labor, work and prayer. But Saint Joseph Benedict was exhausting his strength. In 1842, the doctors decided that he should go to visit his brother in Chieri. When he entered the carriage, one of the Sisters cried out in tears: Father, you are sick; what will become of us? Be at peace, he answered. When I am in heaven, where one can do everything, I will help you more than now I do. I will hold to the cloak of the Mother of God and keep my eyes fixed on you. Do not forget what I, a poor old man, say to you today! A few days later, on April 30, 1842, death came. The final word of this great Saint was that of the Psalm: I rejoiced when it was said unto me, Let us go unto the House of the Lord! Saint Joseph Benedict was canonized by Pope Pius XI, March 19, 1934.
Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, Founder ~ Pray for usš
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
Bible Readings for today, Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ John 14:27-31a
“My peace I give to you”
“Jesus said to His disciples: āPeace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, āI am going away and I will come back to you.ā If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.ā
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus speaks to His disciples on the night of the Last Supper of His going away, His going to the Father. The disciples were troubled, afraid and feeling discouraged as Jesus is about to leave them. Jesus says to them, āDo not let your hearts be troubled or afraidā. He offers them the gift of His peace, a āpeace the world cannot giveā. Jesus reassures them that He is going to the Father, the one who sent Him into the world. This journey to the Father is an expression of His love for the Father. His journey there will enable Him to serve His disciples in a new and more powerful way. As a result of His return to the Father, He will be able to share His own peace with His disciples, the peace of Easter, a peace the world cannot give. Jesus is showing them that His leaving them is to their advantage, a reason for encouragement. It will result in His putting fresh heart into them. Jesus exercising His ministry of encouragement, assures them that although He is leaving them, He will come back to them again in a very short while, through the Holy Spirit. He is actively engaged in putting fresh heart into the disciples. We can encourage each other, but the Lord Himself is the great encourager. If we turn to Him in confident prayer, He will help us to persevere in the faith. Jesus is reminding us that, sometimes, the greatest expression of our love for others can be to let them go, and not try to hold onto them, to let them go to whatever God wishes and desires for them. The Gospel reading also shows us that leave takings in their various forms can be sources of new life for all.
Our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, details the continued works of St. Paul and St. Barnabas in their mission in proclaiming the word of God and His truth, amidst the trials and challenges that they had to face, and despite the oppositions and hardships that they had to endure. St. Paul and St. Barnabas were struck at by the provocation of the Jewish people and those who opposed their efforts and works in proclaiming the Good News of God in the region of Lystra. They were stoned and were almost left for dead if not for Godās protection and guidance, which still remained with them throughout their journey. Yet, that did not dampen their spirits at all, and the two Apostles continued to carry on their mission with zeal and commitment, dedicating their time and effort to glorify the Lord and to proclaim His Good News to more and more of the people. They laboured hard and long so that by their dedication and hard work, they might make God known to more people. Sts. Paul and Barnabas made their way back through the churches they had founded, āthey put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faithā saying, ‘We must all experience many hardships before we enter the kingdom of God.’ We all need encouragement, especially with regard to our faith and our relationship with the Lord. We need to keep putting fresh heart into each other, encouraging each other to persevere in the faith. Just as Jesus exercised the ministry of encouragement by encouraging His disciples on the night of the Last Supper as stated in today’s Gospel reading. One of the ways Sts. Paul and Barnabas put fresh heart into the disciples was by calling forth pastoral leaders from among them, āeldersā, whom they commended to the Lord with prayer and fasting. The ministry of encouragement, of putting fresh heart into one another, as people of faith remains a vital ministry today. The temptation to discouragement can be quite strong in these times, so this ministry of encouragement is all the more vital. Todayās readings invite us to share in this ministry of encouragement that Jesus, as well as Sts. Paul and Barnabas, so powerfully exercise.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, all of us are called and reminded to be missionary and evangelising disciples and followers of God, in carrying out our duties and responsibilities as Christians faithfully in our lives and in doing the will of God at every possible opportunities. The Lord has called on all of us to be His beloved people, to walk in His path and to be exemplary in our lives so that everyone who witness our works and our way of life may truly know that we are the people of God, and that they may also know God Himself through us. Through our Scripture readings today, we have also heard and are reminded that challenges will likely come our way in the midst of our ministry, and trials and hardships may be part of our lives as we journey with faith in Godās path, but we must always persevere and keep up hope. Therefore, let us all give thanks to our most loving God and endeavour to do better in living our lives as most faithful Christians from now on if we have not done so. Let us all be good role models and examples to our fellow brothers and sisters, and do whatever we can to glorify the Lord by our lives and works at all times. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the Risen Lord, our Saviour and Guide, our King and Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, be with us always and bless our works, be with His Church and all who have laboured in His Name. Amen š
Let us pray:
My Lord of true peace, You and Your holy will are the only path to the deepest fulfillment of all of my desires in life. When I make poor choices that lead to disorder and confusion, help me to turn to You with all my heart. Please unmask any deception I struggle with and give me the strength I need to seek You and Your peace alone. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen š
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Good Shepherd. Our Blessed Mother Mary, our Lady of Africa and the Memorial of Saint Pius, Pope; Saint Marie of the Incarnation and Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, Founder ~ Pray for usš
Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for His Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all and for vocations to priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful Fifth Week of Easterš
Blessings and Love always, Philomenaš