Author: Resa

THIRTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 30TH

NOVENA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Novena Starts November 29 – December 7th. Traditionally prayed in preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th [Novena link below]

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? [Please see link to the article below]

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? [Please see link to this article below]

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? [Please see link to this article below]

KIND REMINDER: Please remember to continue to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory throughout the month of November

Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy Saturday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time!

On this Feast day, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we pray for God’s grace and mercy and for the safety and well-being of our children and for peace in our family and the whole world. 🙏

With special intentions for all the souls of the faithful departed. As we continue to remember the faithful departed, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints, we humbly pray for the souls of our faithful departed loved ones, for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed. May God grant our departed loved ones eternal ¹rest, may they reach their full stature. We pray for all those who mourn, for widows and widowers. May our Blessed Mother Mary Intercede for all those in pain and sorrow. We particularly pray for those mourning the loss of a loved one who recently passed away and the souls in Purgatory. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

“Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their labors for their good deeds go with them.” ~ Rev 14:13

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

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, of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | November 30, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | November 30, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | November 30, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| November 30, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: Saturday, November 30, 2024
Reading 1, Romans 10:9-18
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 19:2-3, 4-5
Gospel, Matthew 4:18-22

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/21/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/01/the-saints-who-are-they-and-how-are-they-canonised/

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/15/purgatory-and-limbo/

November is a month when we remember our dead in a special way. It is a month when we are prone to reflecting on death, not in a morbid way but in the hopeful way that is rooted in our faith. Please let us remember to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory this month of November and always.

NOVENA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Novena starts November 29 – December 7th. Traditionally prayed in preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/novena-to-the-blessed-virgin-mary-the-immaculate-conception/

NOVENA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: INTRODUCTORY PRAYER: O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son, we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve her from all stain, so too You would permit us, purified through her intercession, to come unto You. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen 🙏

INTERCESSORY PRAYER ~ DAY TWO: O most Holy Virgin, who was pleasing to the Lord and became His mother, immaculate in body and spirit, in faith and in love, look kindly on me as I implore your powerful intercession. O most Holy Mother, who by your blessed Immaculate Conception, from the first moment of your conception did crush the head of the enemy, receive our prayers as we implore you to present at the throne of God the favor we now request.

(State your personal intention here.)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in Heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from Him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.🙏

Please let us continue to pray for the gentle repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. May their souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen. We pray for peace in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the Middle East and peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World🙏

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST OF SAINT ANDREW, APOSTLE AND MARTYR – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 30TH: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle and Martyr.  Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this special Feast day, we humbly pray for God’s grace and mercy as we prepare for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Praying for hope, faith, love, joy and peace in our world today, as we face these incredibly challenging times. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are sick with mental illness, stroke, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. Amen🙏

SAINT ANDREW, APOSTLE AND MARTYR: St. Andrew the Apostle (1st c.) , also known as St. Andrew the First-Called because he was indeed one of the first if not the first one among the Twelve Apostles to be called by the Lord to be one of His followers, after being a disciple of St. John the Baptist, the Precursor of Christ. St. Andrew was once a fisherman by trade from Bethsaida, the younger brother of Simon Peter, and a former disciple of John the Baptist. He was a fisherman of the region of the lake of Galilee, together with his brother St. Peter, the chief of all the Apostles and first Vicar of Christ, as well as the sons of Zebedee, St. James and St. John, another two of the Twelve Apostles. Altogether, the four of them were the first of the Twelve Apostles to follow the Lord, and were the Lord’s first disciples, leaving everything behind in order to follow Him. St. Andrew recognized Jesus as the prophesied Messiah and left his fishing trade behind to follow Jesus, convincing his brother Simon Peter to do the same. St. Andrew demonstrated his love for his brother as well as his apostolic zeal when, convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, he sought out St. Peter. According to the Gospel of St. John, “Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon Peter and told him, ‘we have found the Messiah.’ Then he brought him to Jesus.” (Jn. 1:40-42) After Jesus’ ascension into heaven, St. Andrew preached the Gospel throughout the world as commanded by Christ. St. Andrew is said to have spread Christianity in Russia, Poland and Asia Minor and that he preached at Byzantium after Pentecost in the first century before finally being martyred by crucifixion in the city of Patras in Achaea, Greece. He was crucified by the Romans in Greece on an X-shaped cross, by request, not deeming himself worthy to die on the same kind of cross as his Savior. St. Andrew suffered for two days before dying, while continuing to preach Christ from his cross. The cross is now his distinctive symbol as well as the symbol of Scotland, of which he is the patron. This type of cross has long been known as “St. Andrew’s cross.”

The story of St. Andrew’s martyrdom rests on the apocryphal Acts which lack historical foundation. The pagan judge exhorted him to sacrifice to the gods. Andrew replied: “I sacrifice daily to Almighty God, the one and true God. Not the flesh of oxen and the blood of goats do I offer, but the unspotted Lamb upon the altar. All the faithful partake of His flesh, yet the Lamb remains unharmed and living.” Angered by the reply, Aegeas commanded him to be thrown into prison. With little difficulty the people would have freed him, but St. Andrew personally calmed the mob and earnestly entreated them to desist, as he was hastening toward an ardently desired crown of martyrdom. When St. Andrew was led to the place of martyrdom, on beholding the cross from a distance he cried out: “O good Cross, so long desired and now set up for my longing soul I confident and rejoicing come to you; exultingly receive me, a disciple of Him who hung on you.” Forthwith he was nailed to the cross. For two days he hung there alive, unceasingly proclaiming the doctrine of Christ until he passed on to Him whose likeness in death he had so vehemently desired. The legendary account of our saint’s martyrdom has this value: it presents to us the mysticism of the Cross of later times. The body of the Saint was taken to Constantinople in 357, and deposited in the Church of the Apostles, built by Constantine the Great. Some of St. Andrew’s remains were brought to Scotland in the fourth century. In 1270, when the city fell into the hands of the Latins, the relics, part of his skeleton were transported to Italy and lie in the crypt of the Cathedral of Amalfi, Italy, where they are removed twice a year and produce a clear, water like substance. The substance, called “manna,” is said to have miraculous attributes. St. Andrew is the Patron Saint of fishermen; fish dealers; fish mongers; fishermen; gout; maidens; old maids; singers; sore throats; spinsters; unmarried women; women who wish to become mothers; Achaia; Amalfi, Italy; anglers; Burgundy; Scotland; diocese of Constantinople; Greece; Lampertheim; Germany; Patras, Greece;  University of Patras; Russia.

PRAYER: Lord, You raised up St. Andrew, Your Apostle, to preach and rule in Your Church. Grant that we may always experience the benefit of his intercession with You. Amen 🙏

SAINT ANDREW PRAYER: Beginning today, on this Feast of St. Andrew (November 30th), the following beautiful prayer is traditionally recited fifteen times a day until Christmas. This is a very meditative prayer that helps us increase our awareness of the real focus of Christmas and helps us prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.”🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

*Bible Readings for today, Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/113022.cfm

Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 4:18-22

“Immediately they left their nets and followed him”

“As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed Him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed Him.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus called two sets of brothers when He began to form a group around Himself for His ministry, Peter and Andrew, and James and John. Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter. They both earned their living by fishing on the Sea of Galilee. According to today’s Gospel reading, they were the first whom Jesus called to become His followers and they were the first to respond to His calling, leaving their fishing business to go where Jesus went. When the Matthew, Mark and Luke list the names of the twelve, Simon Peter is always mentioned first and Andrew second, suggesting that Peter was the more significant of the two within the circle of Jesus. Indeed, Peter was clearly the leader of the twelve, the disciple whom Jesus called to be rock on which he would build His church, the shepherd to whom He entrusted the care of His flock. Yet, according to John’s Gospel, Andrew was the first to spend time with Jesus and to recognize Him as the Messiah, and it was Andrew who subsequently brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus. ‘He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah”’ (John 1:41). According to this Gospel, Peter may have gone on to have a more prominent role in Jesus’ circle than Andrew, but it was Andrew who created the opening for Peter to meet with Jesus initially. The ministry of opening a door to the Lord for others is a very significant one. We can all enter into that task of creating a space for others to encounter the Lord. Whenever we take on this ‘Andrew role’ for others, it can have consequences for good beyond our imagining.

The portrayal of Andrew in the Gospel of John shows how influential we can be in bringing others to faith, including members of our own family who may not seem initially well disposed to faith. If we have a living relationship with the Lord, and if we are seeking to respond to grow in that relationship in response to the Lord’s call, the Lord can work powerfully through us in ways that will surprise us. The primary way the Lord brings people to faith in Him is through other people of faith. In the first reading, Saint Paul says that people will not come to faith in Jesus unless they have heard of him and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher. We are all called to be preachers of the Lord through the living out of our faith in Him. Then, the Lord will work through us, as He worked through Andrew, to bring others to Him. We all came to the Lord through others, and the Lord wants to bring others to Himself through each one of us. And as the Gospel of St. John states, it was Andrew who met Jesus first, and it was Andrew who brought his brother Peter to Jesus. We can all be an Andrew to someone, just as someone has been an Andrew to us. We ask Saint Andrew today to grant us something of his willingness to bring others to the Lord, by sharing our faith in whatever way we can.

In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome, the Apostle was very clear in his words and reminders to the people of God regarding who it is that they believe in and worshipping, namely the Lord God, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who has brought into this world the assurance of His salvation, the promise of eternal life, true joy and glory with God, offered to all of mankind, everyone without any exception, bias or prejudice, whether they were Jews or Gentiles. And this message truly brought great hope to everyone who heard it. This is because at that time, the belief among the Jewish people, the descendants of the original chosen people of God, the Israelites was that the Jews were the only ones deserving of God’s favour and salvation, while the Gentiles, who were mostly pagans and unbelievers were seen as defiled, corrupt, wicked and unworthy, and would be condemned unless they adopted wholly the ways and practices of the Jews, such as the strict laws and rules according to the Law of God as revealed to Moses including all the subsequent additions, modifications and changes. The problem is that the requirements were so stringent that even the Jews themselves have great difficulty obeying them, and all the more difficult for the Gentiles to do so. In addition to this, based on historical evidence and Church records, the practices and customs of the Jews such as circumcision and the dietary preferences among other things were abhorrent and considered as alien and undesirable by many of the Gentiles, and forcing the Gentiles to adopt such practices would indeed have made their lives extra difficult, on top of the challenges that they would already have to face by being a follower of Christ. That was why St. Paul made it clear that the belief in the salvation in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all is universal, and not reserved only for any particular group of people. Anyone who truly believe in Him and obey Him, following His teachings and ways will be saved, and they shall all share in the fullness of grace and glory of God. In today’s first reading, St. Paul declares that ‘faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of God’. Good preaching is rooted in God’s word and nurtures faith. The preacher needs to be a good listener to God’s word if his or her preaching is to generate and nurture faith. As Christians, we recognize the New Testament as the privileged place where we hear God’s word. The Lord speaks to us through the inspired writings of what has come to be known as the New Testament.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, as the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord and the brother of St. Peter the Apostle, and was the very first one of the Lord’s disciples and followers, hence why he is also sometimes known as St. Andrew the First-Called. On this day we honour this great man of God, who has devoted himself thoroughly to the service of God, and given himself to the ministry of the proclamation of the Good News of God to the many people and communities he encountered. St. Andrew the Apostle is truly a great inspiration to all of us in how he has lived his life with fervent desire to glorify God in his many missionary works and actions. Let us all therefore learn and be inspired from the good and worthy life, examples and commitment which St. Andrew has shown to the Lord and to the people he had been sent to. All of us should also have the same vigour and courage in proclaiming the Good News of God like that of St. Andrew and that of the other Apostles because they have shown us what it truly means to be good and faithful Christians, not just in name and formality only, but also through real actions, words and deeds based upon that living and genuine faith in God. We must embody our faith in our daily living and in how we interact with one another, with those whom we encounter, even acquaintances and strangers. May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God continue to bless and guide us all in our journey in life so that by His blessings and providence, by His encouragement and strength we may continue to do our best in our respective lives, continuing the good works which the Apostles such as St. Andrew had done in their lives. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may our own lives and works be truly worthy of being Christians, and may we continue to be good role models and inspirations for each other, now and always. Amen 🙏🏽

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER:*

MONTH OF THE HOLY SOULS: The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of November to praying in a special way for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Holy Souls (also called the Faithful Departed) are members of the Church who await the purification of their souls before joining the Saints in heaven for all eternity. Specifically, they are referred to as the Church Suffering (the Saints in heaven are the Church Triumphant, and the faithful on earth are the Church Militant).The poor souls in purgatory cannot pray for themselves or do anything to hasten their entrance into heaven, but we can and ought to pray for them as an act of charity. The feast of the Holy Souls is November 2nd. 

The entire month of November falls during the liturgical season known as Tempus per Annum or Ordinary Time (formerly Time After Pentecost), which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green is a symbol of hope, as it is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. The liturgical color green is worn during the praying of Offices and celebration of Masses of Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward. As we come to the end of the Church year we are asked to consider the end times, our own as well as the world’s.

The month of November is very full of Memorials, feasts and solemnities. The main feast days are the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1), The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) (November 2), the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (November 24), and St. Andrew (November 30).
The other saint days are: St. Charles Borromeo, (November 4), Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), St. Martin of Tours, (November 11), St. Josaphat (November 12), St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (November 13) St. Albert the Great (November 15), Sts. Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude (November 16), Presentation of Mary (November 21), St. Cecilia (November 22), Sts. Clement I and St. Columban (November 23), and
St. Catherine of Alexandria (November 25). The commemorations of St. Martin de Porres (November 3), St. Leo the Great (November 10), St. Elizabeth of Hungary (November 17), and St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions (November 24) fall on Sundays and are superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER – FOR ANYONE WHO HAS LOST A CHILD: We pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community and receive peace and consolation from the Holy Spirit.

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾

PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all parents, all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏

Let us pray:

My dear Lord, I do say “Yes” to You this day. I hear You calling me, and I choose to respond with the utmost generosity and abandonment to Your holy and perfect will. Give me the courage and wisdom I need to hold nothing back from You and Your divine calling in my life. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe….have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saint Andrew, Apostle and Martyr ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and relaxing weekend 🙏

Blessings and  love always, Philomena💖

Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/

Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org

Sir G.L.I Opiepe’s Health and Education Foundation |

THIRTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 29TH

NOVENA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Novena Starts November 29 – December 7th. Traditionally prayed in preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th [Novena link below]

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? [Please see link to the article below]

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? [Please see link to this article below]

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? [Please see link to this article below]

KIND REMINDER: Please remember to continue to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory throughout the month of November

Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy Friday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time!

On this Feast day, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we pray for God’s grace and mercy and for the safety and well-being of our children and for peace in our family and the whole world. 🙏

With special intentions for all the souls of the faithful departed. As we continue to remember the faithful departed, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints, we humbly pray for the souls of our faithful departed loved ones, for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed. May God grant our departed loved ones eternal ¹rest, may they reach their full stature. We pray for all those who mourn, for widows and widowers. May our Blessed Mother Mary Intercede for all those in pain and sorrow. We particularly pray for those mourning the loss of a loved one who recently passed away and the souls in Purgatory. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

“Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their labors for their good deeds go with them.” ~ Rev 14:13

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

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, of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | November 29, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | November 29, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | November 29, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| November 29, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: Friday, November 29, 2024*
Reading 1, Revelation 20:1-4, 11-21:2
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 84:3, 4, 5-6, 8
Gospel, Luke 21:29-33

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/21/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/01/the-saints-who-are-they-and-how-are-they-canonised/

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/15/purgatory-and-limbo/

November is a month when we remember our dead in a special way. It is a month when we are prone to reflecting on death, not in a morbid way but in the hopeful way that is rooted in our faith. Please let us remember to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory this month of November and always.

NOVENA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Novena starts November 29 – December 7th. Traditionally prayed in preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th* | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/novena-to-the-blessed-virgin-mary-the-immaculate-conception/

NOVENA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: INTRODUCTORY PRAYER: O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son, we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve her from all stain, so too You would permit us, purified through her intercession, to come unto You. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen 🙏

INTERCESSORY PRAYER ~ DAY ONE: O most Holy Virgin, who was pleasing to the Lord and became His mother, immaculate in body and spirit, in faith and in love, look kindly on me as I implore your powerful intercession. O most Holy Mother, who by your blessed Immaculate Conception, from the first moment of your conception did crush the head of the enemy, receive our prayers as we implore you to present at the throne of God the favor we now request.

(State your personal intention here.)

O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in Heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from Him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.🙏

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT SATURNINUS, BISHOP AND MARTYR AND BLESSED DENIS OF THE NATIVITY, RELIGIOUS – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 29TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Saturninus, Bishop and Martyr and Blessed Denis of the Nativity, Religious. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints, we humbly pray for God’s grace and mercy as we prepare for the season of Advent and the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Praying for hope, faith, love, joy and peace in our world today, as we face these incredibly challenging times. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world.🙏🏽

SAINT SATURNINUS, BISHOP AND MARTYR: St. Saturninus Bishop of Toulouse, France and Martyred November 29 A.D. 257. St. Saturninus went from Rome, by direction of Pope Fabian, about the year 245, to preach the faith in Gaul. He fixed his episcopal see at Toulouse, and thus became the first Christian bishop of that city. There were but few Christians in the place. However, their number grew fast after the coming of the Saint; and his power was felt by the spirits of evil, who received the worship of the heathen. His power was felt the more because he had to pass daily through the capitol, the high place of the heathen worship, on the way to his own church.

One day a great multitude was gathered by an altar, where a bull stood ready for the sacrifice. A man in the crowd pointed out Saturninus, who was passing by, and the people would have forced him to idolatry; but the holy bishop answered: “I know but one God, and to Him I will offer the sacrifice of praise. How can I fear gods who, as you say, are afraid of me?” On this he was fastened to the bull, which was driven down the capitol. The brains of the Saint were scattered on the steps. His mangled body was taken up and buried by two devout women.

PRAYER: God, You gave splendor to Your Church by granting St. Saturninus the victory of martyrdom. Grant that, as he imitated the Lord’s Passion, so we may follow in his footsteps and attain everlasting joys… Amen.🙏
 
BLESSED DENIS OF THE NATIVITY, RELIGIOUS: Blessed Denis of the Nativity (1600-1638) was born as Pierre Berthelotin in France and became a sailor at the age of twelve. He had a successful career as pilot-in-chief and cartographer in service to the Kings of France and Portugal, even being knighted for bravery. He later chose the religious life and became a Carmelite friar, taking the name Dionysius (Denis) of the Nativity. He was sent by his superiors on a diplomatic and missionary mission to the Sultan of Aceh (Sumatra). Once there, all the members of his party were seized at the instigation of the Dutch authorities. They were tortured by their Islamic captors and were told to renounce their Catholic faith and become Muslims. They refused and were martyred. St Denis was martyred last, as he desired, in order to be able to strengthen the others. He was killed by a scimitar blow that split his head in two. His last words were: “Jesus, Mary.”

Blessed Denis of the Nativity, Religious ~ Pray for us 🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 21:29-33

“When you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near”

“Jesus told His disciples a parable. “Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

Today’s Gospel reading comes towards the end of a reading which began with Jesus announcing that a time will come when not a single stone of the wonderful temple in Jerusalem will be left on another. It must have been impossible for people to conceive of that ever happening. The temple in Jerusalem was one of the Seven Wonders of the World at the time. Yet, in the history of the world so much has passed away that people thought would have been around forever. Even in recent times so much has fallen that once seemed immovable; we only have to think of the countries of the Middle East. We are left asking, ‘Will anything endure?’ In today’s Gospel reading Jesus declares, ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away’. The words of Jesus and the values they express will endure, and the one who proclaims those words, the Word made flesh, will endure. When all else fails, the Lord will be there. His relationship with us endures, even when our relationship with him grows weak, as St. Paul says in one of his letters, ‘if we are faithless, He remains faithful’. Indeed His relationship with us and ours with Him endures beyond this life. His endurance is the foundation of our endurance. In the Gospel reading, Jesus speaks about heaven and earth passing away, ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away’. The Lord’s life-giving word accompanies us not just through all four seasons of the year, but through all the seasons of our life. The seasons of our life are not as regular as the seasons of nature. We can find ourselves in a personal winter at any time of our lives. We can suddenly enter a time when signs of light and life are difficult to find. It is at such times above all that we need to keep reminding ourselves of what Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading, ‘the kingdom of God is near… my words will never pass away’. Today, we thank the Lord for the gift of His words; we rejoice that here is a gift that never passes away.

Our first reading today is the continuation of the Revelation of St. John the Apostle about the final defeat and destruction of the power of the Devil, Satan, the Evil One, which St. John witnessed during the visions he received at the Island of Patmos, where he saw the series of events that will happen at the end of time, the time of reckoning and final struggle between good and evil. After series of great catastrophes and destructions coming upon the world, which at that time came under the dominion of the Evil One and all of his forces, the forces of Satan and the Antichrist, the Lord reassured His faithful ones that had been facing and enduring persecutions and hardships that eventually all of their struggles and endurance shall be vindicated and they shall be liberated from their struggles and sufferings.This is also a reminder for us all that if we side with the devil and all of his false lies and temptations, then in the end we shall share his fate, defeated and crushed by God, overthrown and cast out into eternal darkness and suffering, cut off completely and totally from the grace and love of God. Meanwhile, all those who are faithful to God shall be part of the new Heaven and new Earth, which God had made to replace the original world and creation which had been defiled and corrupted by sin and evil. Essentially, He will restore everything to how all should be, making all things wonderful, good and perfect once again just as He has intended and just as He wants us to enjoy all the rich and great bounties of this world, made perfect and wonderful for all of us, God’s most beloved children and people. At the end of time, the Lord will come once again to gather all of us to His Holy Presence, restoring us all in body and soul, delivering us from the darkness and evils that have afflicted us. He will free all those who have been persecuted and oppressed because of their faith in Him, and crush all those who have rejected Him and oppressed His faithful ones. We are reminded that we have to make a choice on which path we will follow in our own respective lives. Are we going to follow the path of rebellion and disobedience as advocated by the devil and all those seeking our ruin and destruction? Or are we going to follow the Lord and His path, even though it may be a more difficult and challenging path for us to follow? We have been given the freedom to choose our path in life, and we have also been reminded of the Final Judgment in the end.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, all of us are reminded of the need for us to remain firmly faithful in God and to continue to live our lives worthily as Christians, in not doing what is wicked in the eyes of the Lord. As Christians, all of us are always reminded to keep our faith in God and not to be easily swayed by the temptations and coercions of the world all around us. We have to keep in mind that all of us should be good and worthy role models for our fellow brothers and sisters, to inspire them all through our own good examples and actions in life, based upon the faithful obedience to God and genuine commitment to God and His ways. And we have to remember that if we are faithful to God, in the end, we shall share in His glory and triumph, while if we disobey Him and went astray from His path, there will be nothing for us but defeat and darkness. Let us all therefore be strengthened in our own faith and be encouraged at all times, reminding ourselves that we should ourselves be good role models and inspirations to one another in faith, in how we live our own lives, in how we dedicate ourselves to God. We must always be good and worthy in our every actions, words and deeds so that all those who encounter us and interact with us may come to know the Lord and His truth, His love, and kindness through the manifestation in our lives and works. This is part of the mission which the Lord has entrusted to us, just as He has granted us many opportunities and chances, the means and the blessings for us all to share with each other, to brighten up this darkened world with the hope and light of God’s grace, and not to give in easily to fear and uncertainties, to the temptations to sin. May the Lord, our most loving, compassionate and merciful God continue to strengthen us all in faith, helping us all to endure and persevere through the challenges and hardships in our path in life. May He continue to encourage us to walk ever more graciously and faithfully in His path, guiding us all through His light, truth and hope so that we may remain firmly committed to Him, and not be easily swayed and misguided by all the false leads and the lies and temptations of the evil ones around us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless us all and our every good works and efforts for His greater glory, now and always. Amen 🙏🏽

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER:

MONTH OF THE HOLY SOULS: The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of November to praying in a special way for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Holy Souls (also called the Faithful Departed) are members of the Church who await the purification of their souls before joining the Saints in heaven for all eternity. Specifically, they are referred to as the Church Suffering (the Saints in heaven are the Church Triumphant, and the faithful on earth are the Church Militant).The poor souls in purgatory cannot pray for themselves or do anything to hasten their entrance into heaven, but we can and ought to pray for them as an act of charity. The feast of the Holy Souls is November 2nd. 

The entire month of November falls during the liturgical season known as Tempus per Annum or Ordinary Time (formerly Time After Pentecost), which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green is a symbol of hope, as it is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. The liturgical color green is worn during the praying of Offices and celebration of Masses of Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward. As we come to the end of the Church year we are asked to consider the end times, our own as well as the world’s.

The month of November is very full of Memorials, feasts and solemnities. The main feast days are the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1), The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) (November 2), the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (November 24), and St. Andrew (November 30).
The other saint days are: St. Charles Borromeo, (November 4), Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), St. Martin of Tours, (November 11), St. Josaphat (November 12), St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (November 13) St. Albert the Great (November 15), Sts. Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude (November 16), Presentation of Mary (November 21), St. Cecilia (November 22), Sts. Clement I and St. Columban (November 23), and
St. Catherine of Alexandria (November 25). The commemorations of St. Martin de Porres (November 3), St. Leo the Great (November 10), St. Elizabeth of Hungary (November 17), and St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions (November 24) fall on Sundays and are superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER – FOR ANYONE WHO HAS LOST A CHILD: We pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community and receive peace and consolation from the Holy Spirit.

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾

PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all parents, all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏

Let us pray:

My Eternal Word, You are unchanging and eternal. You are the rock foundation upon which I must always rely. As I continue to experience the many changes encountered in this life, please enter my soul through Your written Word, so that I will find the stability I need. As I stand firm in You, I look forward with joy to the New Heavens and New Earth that await. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏🏽

Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe….have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saint Saturninus
and Blessed Denis of the Nativity, Religious ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and relaxing weekend 🙏

Blessings and  love always, Philomena💖

Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/

Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org

Sir G.L.I Opiepe’s Health and Education Foundation |

THIRTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 28TH

NOVENA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Novena Starts November 29 – December 7th. Traditionally prayed in preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th* [Novena link below]

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? [Please see link to the article below]

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? [Please see link to this article below]

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? [Please see link to this article below]

KIND REMINDER: Please remember to continue to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory throughout the month of November

Greetings and blessings, beloved family. Happy Thursday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time and Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a time of reflection for all our blessings and favors. As we celebrate this day, we thank the good Lord for the gift of life and His many blessings upon us. May His name be praised forever and ever… Amen🙏

On this Feast day, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we pray for God’s grace and mercy and for the safety and well-being of our children and for peace in our family and the whole world. 🙏

With special intentions for all the souls of the faithful departed. As we continue to remember the faithful departed, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints, we humbly pray for the souls of our faithful departed loved ones, for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed. May God grant our departed loved ones eternal ¹rest, may they reach their full stature. We pray for all those who mourn, for widows and widowers. May our Blessed Mother Mary Intercede for all those in pain and sorrow. We particularly pray for those mourning the loss of a loved one who recently passed away and the souls in Purgatory. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

“Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their labors for their good deeds go with them.” ~ Rev 14:13

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

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, of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | November 28, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | November 28, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | November 28, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| November 28, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday, November 28, 2024*
Reading 1, Revelation 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 100:2, 3, 4, 5
Gospel, Luke 21:20-28

NOVENA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Immaculate Conception Starts November 29 – December 7th. Traditionally prayed in preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th* | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/novena-to-the-blessed-virgin-mary-the-immaculate-conception/

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/21/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/01/the-saints-who-are-they-and-how-are-they-canonised/

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/15/purgatory-and-limbo/

November is a month when we remember our dead in a special way. It is a month when we are prone to reflecting on death, not in a morbid way but in the hopeful way that is rooted in our faith. Please let us remember to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory this month of November and always.

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT CATHERINE LABOURÉ, VIRGIN AND VISIONARY AND SAINT JAMES OF THE MARCH, PRIEST – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 28TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Catherine Labouré, Virgin, Visionary and Saint James of the March, Priest. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints as we come to the end of this liturgical year, we humbly pray for God’s grace and mercy as we prepare for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Praying for hope, faith, love, joy and peace in our world today, as we face these incredibly challenging times. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the 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. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and we pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for all parents and children, for peace, love, justice and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world… Amen🙏

SAINT CATHERINE LABOURE, VIRGIN AND VISIONARY: St. Catherine Labouré (1806-1876), the humble Daughter of Charity to whom Mary appeared, requesting that the Miraculous Medal be stamped so that all who wear it would receive great graces. St. Catherine Labouré
was born in Burgundy, France on May 2, 1806. She was the ninth of eleven children of a piousand prosperous farming family. Upon her mother’s death, when Catherine was eight years old, the young girl assumed the responsibilities of the household. After her mother’s funeral, Catherine kissed a statue of the Virgin Mary in her home, saying, “Now you will be my mother.” It was said of her that she was a very quiet and practical child. St. Catherine was devout and simple, and did not learn to read or write. She cared for her family for many years and, drawn to the religious life, entered the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris at the age of twenty-two. Eventually she became a Daughter of Charity. In the year 1830, when she was still a novice at the age of 24, on the eve of the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Catherine experienced her first apparition of the Blessed Mother. Our Blessed Mother Mary entrusted to St. Catherine the mission of spreading devotion to her medal of the Immaculate Conception also known as the Miraculous Medal. The design of which she revealed to the saint in a vision. Later, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared once again and requested that St. Catherine have a medal made portraying Mary just as she appeared. The Blessed Virgin Mary asked St. Catherine to have the medal made and spread devotion to it. The Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Catherine two more times after the initial visit. It took two years before St. Catherine was able to convince her spiritual director to have the medal created, but eventually, he listened to her and 2,000 medals were made and eventually the Miraculous Medal was mass-produced, widely promoted, and approved by the Church as a sacramental for public devotion. Their dispersal was so rapid and effective that it was said to be miraculous itself. It is worn by millions today.

St. Catherine preferred anonymity and remained unknown as the visionary to whom Our Lady appeared, even to the sisters of her own convent. After the visions ceased, St. Catherine Labouré spent the rest of her life in humble and obedient service as the portress, and she continued to live a quiet life in service to the sick and worked with the sick in a convent outside of Paris. She spent that time in silence, not telling her superior that she was the one to whom Mary appeared and gave the medal until 45 years after. St. Catherine died in Paris on December 31, 1876. After her death many miracles were ascribed to her relics. When her body was exhumed 57 years later, in connection with her cause for canonization, it was found to be in perfect condition. St. Catherine Labouré is one of the Church’s incorruptible saints: her incorrupt body is reposed in a glass casket in the chapel where she received the vision of Our Lady. In the Chapel of the Daughters of Charity Mother House of the Apparition you can gaze upon the face and the lips that for forty-six years kept a secret which has since shaken the world. St. Catherine Laboure was canonized by Pope Pius XII on July 27, 1947. Her feast day is November 28th.

QUOTE OF SAINT CATHERINE LABOURÉ:“When I go to the Chapel I place myself before the good God and I say to Him: ‘Lord, here I am, give me what You will.’ If He gives me something, I am very pleased and I thank Him. If He gives me nothing, I still thank Him because I do not deserve anything. And then again, I tell Him all that passes through my mind; I recount my pains and my joys and … I listen. If you listen to Him, He will speak to you also, because with the good God it is necessary to speak and to listen.”

~ Saint Catherine Labouré ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT JAMES OF THE MARCH, PRIEST:
St. James of the March (1391-1476) was a Franciscan priest in the 15th century. He was born James Gangala into a poor family in Monteprandone, Italy in 1391 in the March of Ancona, Italy, and was therefore surnamed “of the March.” Though of humble origin he was able to attend the University of Perugia and won the laurels of Doctor of in Canon and Civil Laws. He was educated by his uncle who was a priest. He worked for some time as a tutor in a noble family, however, after a short stint at teaching, he renounced the world to become a Franciscan friar. After completing his novitiate, he studied theology under St. Bernardine of Siena. On July 26, 1416, he was received into the order of Friars Minor in the Chapel of the Portiuncula in Assisi. He was ordained and for fifty years preached the Faith to thousands in season and out of season. He continued as a missionary and preacher. He preached in Tuscany, in the Marches, and in Umbria. Together with St. John of Capistrano he fought strenuously against the rigorist and heretical sects known as the Fraticelli, and helped reconcile the moderate Hussites to the Church at the Council of Basle. St James of the Marches preached penance, combated heretics, and was on legations in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Bohemia, Poland, Hungary, and Bosnia. He was also appointed inquisitor against the Fratelli, a heretic sect that dissented from the Franciscans on the vow of poverty, among other things. Everywhere he went St. James stood as a luminous figure of sanctity and the Franciscan apostolate. Such was the power of his preaching that he is said to have converted fifty thousand heretics and countless sinners, including thirty-six harlots through a single sermon on St. Mary Magdalene. He traveled all over Europe as the ambassador of Popes and rules, sleeping little and praying much. He was offered the See of Milan in 1460, but he refused it.

Inspired by St. Jame’s apostolic example, more than 200 young men of Germany were impelled to enter the Franciscan Order. The crowds who came to hear him were so great that the churches were not large enough to accommodate them, and it became imperative for him to preach in the public squares. At Milan he was instrumental in converting 36 women of bad repute by a single sermon on St. Mary Magdalen. It is said that he brought 50,000 heretics into the Church and led 200,000 nonbelievers to baptism. In addition, God granted St James such wisdom that popes and princes sought counsel from him. He possessed the gifts or miracles and of prophesy in great measure, yet his humility surpassed all those distinctions. On Easter Monday, 1462, St. James, while preaching at Brescia, repeated the ideas of some theologians that the Precious Blood shed during the Passion was not united with the Divinity of Christ during the three days of His burial. He was accused of heresy for saying that, but no discussion or resolution was ever granted to his case, and the matter was ignored or forgotten. St. James love for the poor led him to establish pawnshops where they might borrow money at low rates, a work that was made very popular by his protégé, St. Bernardine of Feltre. St. James spent the last three years of his life at Naples and after a vigorous life schedule, rigorous penances, and never-ending activity, St. James died on November 28, 1476, and was buried there in the Franciscan church of St. Maria la Nuova, where his body can be seen today. He was beatified by Urban VIII in 1624 and was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. Naples venerates him as one of its Patron Saints. His feast day is November 28th.

PRAYER: God, You made St. James an illustrious preacher of the Gospel to save souls and to bring back sinners from the mire od sin to the pathway of virtue. Through his intercession may we be cleansed from all sin and obtain eternal life. Amen 🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 21:20-28

“There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars”

“Jesus said to His disciples, ‘When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you must realise that she will soon be laid desolate. Then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in country districts must not take refuge in it. For this is the time of vengeance when all that scripture says must be fulfilled. Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come! ‘For great misery will descend on the land and wrath on this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive to every pagan country; and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the pagans until the age of the pagans is completely over. ‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.’”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem and the terrible consequences for all who are living there. He goes on to speak of great disturbances in the cosmos that will bring fear to people everywhere. Yet, just when all is at its darkest, Jesus declares that the Son of Man will appear in all His power and glory bringing redemption, liberation, to all who welcome His coming. There are times in our lives when our own world can appear to be falling apart. Disturbing events happen over which we have little or no control; we can be left shaken and frightened. Today’s Gospel reading is reminding us that it is above all in such moments when we are most aware of our vulnerability and frailty that the Lord is closest to us. He stands by us in his risen power, giving us strength in our weakness. His presence has the power to liberate us from our fears and to give us the confidence to stand erect with our heads held high, in the words of the Gospel reading. We can be tempted to let the darkness envelope us. We need to resist that temptation because the light of the Lord’s presence shines in the darkness and we are assured that the darkness will not overcome it. As the Gospel reading speaks of the fall of the city of Jerusalem to her enemies, the destruction of its people and disturbing signs in nature that are full of the darker side of human experience. Yet, this grim time is also the moment when the Son of Man will appear in great power and glory. In the time of greatest darkness a light begins to shine. That was true of Golgotha also. This time of great darkness was also the time when the light of God’s love shone most brightly. The Gospel reading assures us that there is a light at the heart of every darkness. In our own dark experiences the light of the Lord’s presence never ceases to shine. That is why, when the darkest times come our way, in the final words of the Gospel reading, we can stand erect and hold our heads high in freedom. Saint Paul says in one of his letters, ‘where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom’. We are only truly free when we are living in tune with the Spirit of the Lord, when the Holy Spirit is bearing rich fruit in our lives. As we come to the end of the church’s liturgical year and as we begin a new liturgical year with Advent next week, we pray, and invite the Holy Spirit, ‘Come Holy Spirit’ and may the light of the Advent candle shine through the darkness and the darkness will not overcome he light of God’s love that shines most brightly.

Our first reading today is the continuation from the Book of Revelations to St. John the Apostle, it details the story of the great triumph, after all the tribulations, hardships and challenges facing all the faithful people of God by Satan, the great enemy, the Antichrist and all those forces of evil and wickedness arrayed against the faithful and holy ones of God. During those days in the final moments of the current world we are living in, Satan and all of his forces made a final attempt at us all, and in their attempts, they tried to bring us all down into damnation by striking at us, tempting us and coercing us into following their false and wicked paths, persecuting and oppressing all those who have been faithful to the Lord and His truth. But we are all reminded through this reading today that we should not easily give up the struggle or surrender to the demands of the evil ones, because ultimately we will be triumphant with God. This Revelation received by St. John the Apostle came at the time when the Church and many of the faithful were encountering great hardships and persecutions for their faith in God, with the Apostle himself being persecuted and exiled at the island of Patmos when he received this series of visions and revelations from God. According to historical evidence and Sacred Tradition, this persecution which had begun under the Emperor Nero, became more intense under the succeeding Emperors, and this particular episode of persecution happened during the reign of the Emperor Domitian who ruled the Roman Empire about five and six decades after the death of Christ, His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. Many of the Apostles except for St. John had died as martyrs, and many more early Christians had become martyrs as well. They all persevered in faith and refused to obey the Emperor’s command for them to worship him as a god. They refused to worship the pagan gods and offer sacrifices to these gods and false idols, and especially in the case of the Emperor Domitian, known in history for his megalomania and claim to divinity which was scandalous and controversial even to the Romans and the pagan believers at the time. But knowing this fact makes us realise just how dire the situation was for the Church and many of the early Christians who suffered greatly for their faith in God. But the Lord strengthened and encouraged them through His servants and all the reassurances that He has given them, including this Revelation of the ultimate triumph and victory the faithful shall all have in God, just as ultimately the Christian faith triumphed over the pagan idols and Emperor worship of Ancient Rome.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded by the Lord through His Church yet again towards the end of this current liturgical year that as we continue to live on with our lives, in each and every moments, we will always keep in mind our relationship with God and our state of life in the world today. All of us are reminded that tribulations and hardships will likely be part of our journey towards the Lord, but if we remain firm in our faith towards Him, in the end, we will share in His ultimate triumph and victory against the forces of evil, sin and darkness. We must always have faith in the Lord and believe that no matter what obstacles and hardships we may encounter in our journey, we will be able to overcome them with God’s help and guidance. As we reflects on the words of the Lord, it is a clear reminder for all of us that we should not easily give in to the temptations of worldly glory and the falsehood of earthly treasures. Instead we must renew our commitment, faith and trust in God. We must always have faith that the Lord will be triumphant with us in the end, and the sufferings that we are facing now, are what He Himself has suffered even more, as He has suffered the worst of sufferings, humiliations and pains, the worst that this world can project upon anyone, and yet, He endured it all because of His love for us, and He triumphed in the end. It is also normal for us to struggle with those sufferings and pains, and our hardships are real sufferings, but we must always remember that we do not suffer alone, for the Lord Himself is journeying by our side, bearing our crosses with Him, as He will always support us all the way. We are reminded to emulate the Saints and Holy men and women, particularly those we celebrate today, Saint Catherine Labouré and Saint James of the March. We need to have firm trust and strong faith in God, let us all therefore renew our faith in Him and do our very best to glorify God by our every actions, words and deeds that are truly worthy of Him. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the good Lord continue to strengthen us all and encourage each one of us in our respective journeys in life, so that hopefully by our own good role model and inspirations, we may help each other in this difficult but ultimately rewarding journey towards God. May God bless us all and our every good works and endeavours, now and always. Amen 🙏🏽

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER:

MONTH OF THE HOLY SOULS: The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of November to praying in a special way for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Holy Souls (also called the Faithful Departed) are members of the Church who await the purification of their souls before joining the Saints in heaven for all eternity. Specifically, they are referred to as the Church Suffering (the Saints in heaven are the Church Triumphant, and the faithful on earth are the Church Militant).The poor souls in purgatory cannot pray for themselves or do anything to hasten their entrance into heaven, but we can and ought to pray for them as an act of charity. The feast of the Holy Souls is November 2nd. 

The entire month of November falls during the liturgical season known as Tempus per Annum or Ordinary Time (formerly Time After Pentecost), which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green is a symbol of hope, as it is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. The liturgical color green is worn during the praying of Offices and celebration of Masses of Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward. As we come to the end of the Church year we are asked to consider the end times, our own as well as the world’s.

The month of November is very full of Memorials, feasts and solemnities. The main feast days are the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1), The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) (November 2), the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (November 24), and St. Andrew (November 30).
The other saint days are: St. Charles Borromeo, (November 4), Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), St. Martin of Tours, (November 11), St. Josaphat (November 12), St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (November 13) St. Albert the Great (November 15), Sts. Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude (November 16), Presentation of Mary (November 21), St. Cecilia (November 22), Sts. Clement I and St. Columban (November 23), and
St. Catherine of Alexandria (November 25). The commemorations of St. Martin de Porres (November 3), St. Leo the Great (November 10), St. Elizabeth of Hungary (November 17), and St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions (November 24) fall on Sundays and are superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER – FOR ANYONE WHO HAS LOST A CHILD: We pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community and receive peace and consolation from the Holy Spirit.

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾

PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏

Let us pray:

My most generous Lord, You have bestowed upon me blessings beyond my imagination. I realize that I will never fully understand how good You have been to me and will never be able to express my gratitude adequately enough. Please do fill me with a grateful heart. Help me to see Your action in my life and to respond to You with Thanksgiving!

Most Holy Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are One God in Three Persons, perfectly united by divine love. I thank You profoundly for the gift of Your grace in my life, especially as that Gift is communicated to me through the Mass. In gratitude for all You have bestowed upon me, I pray that I will go forth for the rest of my life and become an instrument of Your loving mercy to all. Most Holy Trinity, I love Thee, adore Thee, and Thank Thee for everything. I wholeheartedly trust in You ~ Amen 🙏🏽

Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe….have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saint Catherine Labouré and Saint James of the March ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled, fruitful week and Thanksgiving celebration 🙏

Blessings and  love always, Philomena💖

Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/

Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org

Sir G.L.I Opiepe’s Health and Education Foundation |

THIRTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 27TH

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? [Please see link to the article below]

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? [Please see link to this article below]

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? [Please see link to this article below]

KIND REMINDER: Please remember to continue to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory throughout the month of November

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

On this special Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, we pray for God’s grace and mercy and for the safety and well-being of our children and for peace in our family and the whole world. 🙏

With special intentions for all the souls of the faithful departed. As we continue to remember the faithful departed, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints, we humbly pray for the souls of our faithful departed loved ones, for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed. May God grant our departed loved ones eternal ¹rest, may they reach their full stature. We pray for all those who mourn, for widows and widowers. May our Blessed Mother Mary Intercede for all those in pain and sorrow. We particularly pray for those mourning the loss of a loved one who recently passed away and the souls in Purgatory. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

“Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their labors for their good deeds go with them.” ~ Rev 14:13

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

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, of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | November 27, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | November 27, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | November 27, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| November 27, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: Wednesday, November 27, 2024*
Reading 1, Revelation 15:1-4
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 7-8, 9
Gospel, Luke 21:12-19

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/21/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/01/the-saints-who-are-they-and-how-are-they-canonised/

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/15/purgatory-and-limbo/

November is a month when we remember our dead in a special way. It is a month when we are prone to reflecting on death, not in a morbid way but in the hopeful way that is rooted in our faith. Please let us remember to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory this month of November and always.

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL AND SAINT MAXIMINUS, BISHOP OF RIEZ – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 27TH: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Saint Maximinus, Bishop of Riez. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this special feast of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal, we humbly pray for God’s grace and mercy as we come to the end of the liturgical year. Praying for hope, faith, love, joy and peace in our world today, as we face these incredibly challenging times. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the 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. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and we pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for all parents and children, for peace, love, justice and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world… Amen🙏

OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL: The apparitions and revelations of Our Lady to St. Catherine Labouré in the 19th century was on November 27, 1830 in the Mother-house Chapel of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, France. In these visions, Our Mother Mary granted Catherine and all of the Church a powerful sacramental that came to be known as the miraculous medal. Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Labouré, a Daughter of Charity in Paris, and told her that God had a mission for her. Standing upon a globe, the Virgin Mary held a golden ball which she seemed to offer to God, and on her fingers were rings with gems that emitted rays of light. She told St. Catherine, “These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The gems from which rays do not fall are the graces for which souls forget to ask.” Afterward, the ball, symbolizing the world and each person, disappeared, and she held her hands outstretched in the manner of a loving mother, while rays of light continued to cascade upon the globe at her feet as she stood atop the serpent’s head. Framing the image in an oval were the words, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” St. Catherine then saw an image of an M upon which was a cross. Underneath the M was Our Lord’s heart crowned with thorns and Our Lady’s heart pierced by a sword. Surrounding this image were 12 stars. The Blessed Virgin instructed St. Catherine to have a medal made of these images, and she promised many graces to all who wear it.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you. O Mary, this was the prayer that you gave to Saint Catherine Laboure in the Chapel of the Apparitions, more than one hundred and fifty years ago; This invocation, engraved on the Miraculous Medal, is not worn and repeated by the faithful throughout the world. Blessed are you among women!  You are intimately associated with the work of our redemption, assocated with the cross of our Savior, your heart has been pierced, next to His heart. And now, in the glory of your Son, you never cease to intercede for us, poor sinners. You watch over the Church for you are its Mother.  You watch over each of your Children. From God, you obtain for us, all the graces that are symbolized by the rays of light which radiate from your open hands, and the only condition that you demand of us is that we approach with the conficence, the hardiness, and the simplicity of a child. And it is thus that you bring before us your Divine Son.

Blessed Pope John Paul II (1980) on the occasion of the Pope’s visit to the Rue du Bac, Paris, France.

PRAYER OF SAINT CATHERINE LABOURÉ: Whenever I go to the chapel, I put myself in the presence of our good Lord, and I say to Him, “Lord, I am here. Tell me what you would have me to do.” If He gives me some task, I am content and I thank Him. If He gives me nothing, I still thank Him since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that. And then, I tell God everything that is in my heart. I tell Him about my pains and my joys, and then I listen. If you listen, God will also speak to you, for with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen. God always speaks to you when you approach Him plainly and simply. 🙏

THE MEMORARE: Remember, O most compassionate Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored you assistance, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we fly unto you, O Virgin of Virgins, our Mother; to you we come, before you we kneel sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in your clemency, hear and answer them. Amen🙏

HAIL MARY: Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among 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 death… Amen🙏

SAINT MAXIMINUS, BISHOP OF RIEZ: Saint Maximinus or Maximus, abbot of Lerins, in succession to St. Honoratus, was born in Provence, France. He became a monk at Lerins and was made abbot of Lerins in 426, having been trained by St. Honoratus. He was remarkable not only for the spirit of recollection, fervor, and piety familiar to him from very childhood, but still more for the gentleness and kindliness with which he governed the monastery which at that time contained many religious, and was famous for the learning and piety of its brethren.

From his earliest years he gave evidence of more than ordinary virtue. After living a saintly life in the world for some years, he finally retired to the famous monastery of Lerins, where he was kindly received by St. Honoratus, by whom it was governed. When the latter had become archbishop of Arles in 426, St. Maximus was chosen second Abbot of Lerins.

St. Maximus’s reputed sanctity drew crowds to the island, and the monastery prospered under his benevolent administration. He had governed it about seven years when the See of Riez in Provence became vacant. Finding that he was wanted to fill it, he fled to the coast of Italy; but he was overtaken, brought back, and forced to accept the new dignity. In this position as bishop of Riez, he continued to wear a hair shirt and to observe the monastic rule insofar as his duties allowed. He assisted at the Council of Riez in 439, the first held in Orange in 441, and that of Arles in 454. He practised virtue in all gentleness, and died in 460.

PRAYER: Almighty and ever-living God, You willed to make Bishop St. Maximus rule over Your people. Grant by his interceding merits that we may receive the grace of Your mercy… Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 21:12-19

“You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed”

“Jesus said to the crowd: “They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus announces the coming of dark days for His disciples. He speaks of persecution, imprisonment, betrayal, hatred from others. Because of their witness to Jesus, they will be seized by the religious and political authorities and imprisoned. Even members of their own families will turn against them and betray them to the authorities. What the Lord looks for in all of these negative experiences is mentioned in the last line of the Gospel reading – endurance or perseverance. Yet, Jesus goes on to declare that there will be light in this darkness. He will be with them as risen Lord, giving them the eloquence and wisdom through the Holy Spirit that will enable them to bear witness to their faith. As a result, the experience of suffering and loss will become an opportunity, provided they endure in faith and don’t fall away. The Lord wants us to be faithful in the midst of apparent failure. It is tempting to lose faith when our relationship with the Lord, – our efforts to serve him – seems to bring us more grief than joy. We can identify easily with the seed that fell on rocky soil, those who endure only for a while; then when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. It is the Lord who makes possible our endurance to the end, rather than just for a while. As Jesus promises His disciples and us in today’s Gospel reading, ‘I myself will give you eloquence and wisdom’. In times of struggle and failure we are invited to rely on the resources the Lord gives us, so that we may endure to the end, and not just for a while.

In Luke’s second volume, the Acts of the Apostles, the persecution of the church in Jerusalem became an opportunity for the growth of the church because those persecuted were scattered to cities like Antioch where they preached the Gospel not just to Jews but to pagans. The times when our faith and the faith of the church seems to be at its most vulnerable can be the opportunity for the Lord to work in powerfully new ways. As a church today we can be very conscious of loss and decline, especially in our world today. Yet, the risen Lord continues to work among us, creating new opportunities for the spread of the Gospel and the growth of the church. All He asks is that we have that quality of endurance, the Gospel reading speaks about. We are not to lose heart but to turn towards the Lord in our weakness, trusting that that He will give us all the resources we need for His good work to continue and to bear new fruit. As Saint Paul expresses it so eloquently, the Lord’s power is often made perfect in weakness. Our willingness to keep fighting the good fight of the faith, our endurance, will create spaces for the Lord to work in ways that will surprise us. As Mother Teresa said, in calling us to share in His work, the Lord does not ask us to be successful but to be faithful. The Lord wants us to be faithful in the midst of apparent failure. It is tempting to lose faith when our relationship with the Lord, – our efforts to serve him – seems to bring us more grief than joy. We can identify easily with the seed that fell on rocky soil, those who endure only for a while; then when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. It is the Lord who makes possible our endurance to the end, rather than just for a while. Jesus promises His disciples and us in today’s Gospel reading, ‘I myself will give you eloquence and wisdom’. In times of struggle and failure we are invited to rely on the resources the Lord gives us, so that we may endure to the end, and not just for a while. As stated in the Gospel, Jesus inserts a great light into the midst of that dark picture. He promises to give His disciples the resources they need to withstand the hostility they will experience. As a result, not a hair of their head will be lost. That same promise is made to all of us. When our following of the Lord, our response to the Lord’s call, brings us into difficult and threatening territory, the Lord will always be there with us. In the darkness of the struggle, He will always be our light. He will always provide the resources we need to remain faithful, or in the language of the Gospel reading, to endure. Faithfulness, endurance, is what the Lord asks of us, and it is His resourceful faithfulness to us in difficult times that will make our faithfulness possible.

Our first reading today is the continuation from the Book of Revelations of St. John, in which the Apostle related to us what he had witnessed in his vision of the end of time, with the seven great Angels of God bringing forth the seven bowls of plagues from God to the world, at the last moments before the Final and Last Judgment. In that vision, St. John saw the Angels of God bringing forth God’s punishment upon all the sinners and all those who have remained in the world and chose to side with the evil one, refusing to listen to His truth and repent from their sins. This is what the Lord has justly given to all those who have constantly rejected and refused His love and kindness, His compassion and mercy. This does not mean that God desires any one of us to be destroyed and condemned to Hell. On the contrary, He wants all of us, every single one of us, children of mankind, His most beloved and the pinnacle of all of His creation, to share in His eternal joy and love, and to be with Him forevermore. He does not wish for any one of us to be lost to Him. Hence, He has given us so many means for us to reach out to Him and to find our way to His salvation and grace. But if by our own volition and conscious decision and choice we have made, in denying God and refusing His generous offer of love and mercy, then we have been condemned by our own sins and by our own stubbornness and desires, and this is what those people will suffer in the end times. We are being reminded all these so that we can remain strong and vigilant in our faith and in our lives so that we do not end up falling into the slippery slope of sin. It does not mean that all of us who have been baptised as Christians can never fall again into sin. The fact is that this makes the evil one and all of his forces to be even more hardworking in trying to bring us down and to drag us into the path towards our downfall. We are all saved by our faith in God, but if that faith is not made alive and vibrant through our actions, words and deeds, then that faith is as good as empty, meaningless and dead. And such a faith will not avail us on the Day of Judgment and reckoning, when we will have to account for our lives.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded again that our path as Christians, as those who follow the Lord and believe in His teachings and words will not be an easy one. There will definitely be plenty of challenges and obstacles in our path and journey, and the way forward may be very arduous for us, but we must not easily give up the struggle and perseverance regardless of the various oppositions and trials in our path. We must always remain firm in our faith and commitment to God, and we must never lose sight of the true happiness and joy that we shall enjoy forever with Him, as long as we remain true to Him regardless of the difficulties that we have encountered. Now what matters is what we are going to do about our own lives in this world. Are we going to commit ourselves anew to the Lord, to His path and to everything that He has entrusted to us? Or are we continue to be ignorant of our calling and mission in life? Or worse still, are we still going to allow the temptations of the world and sin to lead us astray and to bring us to our downfall? If we are not careful we may end up being dragged by the sins we commit and by our disobedience, and hence, risk falling ever deeper into the path towards damnation. That is why we should always keep in mind to follow the Lord ever more faithfully in each and every moments of our lives, doing whatever we can to serve Him at all times. May the Lord, our ever patient, loving and compassionate God continue to strengthen us in faith despite and regardless of the circumstances, challenges, trials and difficulties that we may be facing in our respective lives. We must always be steadfast in faith, and do not easily succumb to temptations, pressures and coercions to abandon our faith in God, or to seek alternative sources of satisfaction. May we ever draw strength and courage from Him as we endure various challenges and difficulties in life, so that we do not easily falter in our commitment to Him, and that we will not lose sight on the focus of our lives, that is God and Him alone. As we reflect on the life of the Saints, and Holy men and women, particularly those we celebrate today on this Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May the Saints and our Blessed Mother Mary intercede for us and may the Lord our loving God and Master continue to help and guide us in our journey throughout our lives, so that by His strength and encouragement, all of us may continue to do our best to be great examples and role models, in how we should live our daily living, at every moment, to be great inspirations and shining beacons of God’s light, truth and salvation to all the whole world. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to remain hopeful, vigilant and prayerful for greater glory of His Holy Name as we prepare for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER:

MONTH OF THE HOLY SOULS: The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of November to praying in a special way for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Holy Souls (also called the Faithful Departed) are members of the Church who await the purification of their souls before joining the Saints in heaven for all eternity. Specifically, they are referred to as the Church Suffering (the Saints in heaven are the Church Triumphant, and the faithful on earth are the Church Militant).The poor souls in purgatory cannot pray for themselves or do anything to hasten their entrance into heaven, but we can and ought to pray for them as an act of charity. The feast of the Holy Souls is November 2nd. 

The entire month of November falls during the liturgical season known as Tempus per Annum or Ordinary Time (formerly Time After Pentecost), which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green is a symbol of hope, as it is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. The liturgical color green is worn during the praying of Offices and celebration of Masses of Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward. As we come to the end of the Church year we are asked to consider the end times, our own as well as the world’s.

The month of November is very full of Memorials, feasts and solemnities. The main feast days are the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1), The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) (November 2), the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (November 24), and St. Andrew (November 30).
The other saint days are: St. Charles Borromeo, (November 4), Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), St. Martin of Tours, (November 11), St. Josaphat (November 12), St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (November 13) St. Albert the Great (November 15), Sts. Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude (November 16), Presentation of Mary (November 21), St. Cecilia (November 22), Sts. Clement I and St. Columban (November 23), and
St. Catherine of Alexandria (November 25). The commemorations of St. Martin de Porres (November 3), St. Leo the Great (November 10), St. Elizabeth of Hungary (November 17), and St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions (November 24) fall on Sundays and are superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER – FOR ANYONE WHO HAS LOST A CHILD: We pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community and receive peace and consolation from the Holy Spirit.

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾

PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏

Let us pray:

My persecuted Lord, though You were perfect in every way, You endured much cruelty in Your earthly life. The injustice You endured is beyond our comprehension. But Your response to such persecution was perfect. You were able to transform all ill-treatment into grace and mercy, offered especially for those who mistreated You. Give me the grace I need to imitate Your perfect response and to always rely upon Your wisdom and guidance alone. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏🏽

Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe….have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Saint Maximinus ~
Pray for us 🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful week🙏

Blessings and  love always, Philomena💖

Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/

Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org

Sir G.L.I Opiepe’s Health and Education Foundation |

THIRTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 26TH

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? [Please see link to the article below]

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? [Please see link to this article below]

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? [Please see link to this article below]

KIND REMINDER: Please remember to continue to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory throughout the month of November

Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy Tuesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time!

On this Feast day through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, we pray for God’s grace and mercy and for the safety and well-being of our children and for peace in our family and the whole world. 🙏

With special intentions for all the souls of the faithful departed. As we continue to remember the faithful departed, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints, we humbly pray for the souls of our faithful departed loved ones, for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed. May God grant our departed loved ones eternal ¹rest, may they reach their full stature. We pray for all those who mourn, for widows and widowers. May our Blessed Mother Mary Intercede for all those in pain and sorrow. We particularly pray for those mourning the loss of a loved one who recently passed away and the souls in Purgatory. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

“Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their labors for their good deeds go with them.” ~ Rev 14:13

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

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, of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | November 26, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | November 26, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | November 26, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| November 26, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: *: Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Reading 1, Revelation 14:14-19
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 96:10, 11-12, 13
Gospel, Luke 21:5-11

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/21/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/01/the-saints-who-are-they-and-how-are-they-canonised/

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/15/purgatory-and-limbo/

November is a month when we remember our dead in a special way. It is a month when we are prone to reflecting on death, not in a morbid way but in the hopeful way that is rooted in our faith. Please let us remember to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory this month of November and always.

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT SIRICIUS, POPE; SAINT SYLVESTER, ABBOT; SAINT PETER OF ALEXANDRIA, BISHOP AND MARTYR; SAINT LEONARD OF PORT MAURICE, PRIEST AND SAINT JOHN BERCHMANS, RELIGIOUS – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 26TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Siricius, Pope; Saint Sylvester, Abbot; Saint Peter of Alexandria, Bishop and Martyr; Saint Leonard of Port Maurice, Priest and Saint John Berchmans, Religious. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for all Altar Servers, Youth, Missionaries and all those who preach parish missions. We pray for the 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. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and we pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for all parents and children, for peace, love, justice and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world… Amen🙏

SAINT SIRICIUS, POPE: Pope Siricius (334 – 26 November 399) was a native of Rome; his father’s name was Tiburtius. Siricius entered the service of the Church at an early age and, according to the testimony of the inscription on his grave, was lector and then deacon of the Roman Church during the pontificate of Liberius. St. Siricius was elected Pope in 384 at the death of St. Damasus I and reigned until 399. Pope Benedict XIV (1740-1758) added the name of Pope Siricius to the Roman Martyrology on November 26th with the statement that he was “distinguished for his learning, piety, and zeal for religion, condemning various heretics and strengthening ecclesiastical discipline”.

The “heretics” were the monk Jovinian and Bonosus of Sardica who denied the perpetual virginity of Mary and the merit of virginity as well. “Ecclesiastical discipline” refers to the decisions that Siricius gave on certain question of church order and the Sacraments addressed to him by Bishop Himerius of Tarragona. In response to inquiries from Bishop Himerius of Tarragona, Siricius issued the Directa decretal, containing decrees of baptism, church discipline and other matters. His are the oldest completely preserved papal decretals. He is sometimes said to have been the first bishop of Rome to call himself pope. The general instruction, which Hinerius was ordered to communicate to other Bishops, is the earliest Papal decretal extant in its entirety and includes the earliest known attempt at the enforcement of clerical celibacy by the Roman See.

PRAYER: Almighty and eternal God, You willed to set St. Siricius over Your entire people and to go before them in word and example. By his intercession keep the pastors of Your Church together with their flocks and guide them in the way of eternal salvation. Amen. Saint Siricius, Pope ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT SYLVESTER, ABBOT: St. Sylvester founded the Sylvestrine Order, a reform congregation of the Order of St. Benedict, in 1231. St. Sylvester, of the noble Gozzolini family, was born in Italy in 1177. After making a distinguished record at the universities of Bologna and Padua, he was made a canon at Osimo, his native city. His inclination toward the contemplative life was strengthened by the sight of the decomposing dead body of a once handsome relative. “I am what he was,” said Sylvester to himself, “and I will also be what he is.”

After the funeral services, the words of our Lord kept ringing in his ears, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). At the age of 50 he resigned his post and became a hermit. Many disciples came to him, and these he organized under the rule of St. Benedict. After his death the order became known as the Sylvestrines, especially noted for their spirit of poverty. Their founder died at the age of 90 in 1267. The members of his Order wear a Benedictine habit, Turkish blue in color. Today there remain seven Sylvestrine monasteries in Italy and several mission houses in Ceylon and in the United States.

Saint Sylvester, Abbot ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT PETER OF ALEXANDRIA, BISHOP AND MARTYR: St. Peter, Bishop of Alexandria from 300. A native of Alexandria, Egypt, Peter survived the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian and served as a confessor for the suffering Christians. Made head of the famed Catechetical School of Alexandria, he was a vigorous opponent of Origenism before receiving appointment as bishop. He composed a set of rules by which those who had lapsed might be readmitted to the faith after appropriate penance, a settlement which was not to the liking of extremists of the community. Thus, in 306 when the persecutions began again, Peter was forced to flee the city. The partisans of Melitius, Peter’s chief critic,  installed their favorite as bishop of Alexandria, thereby starting the Melitian Schism which troubled the see for many years. Peter returned to Alexandria in 311 after a lull in the persecutions, but was soon arrested and beheaded on November 25, 311 by Roman officials acting on the decree of Emperor Maximinus Daia. He was a great bishop, famous for wisdom and holiness; “a model of charity and zeal, severe towards himself, merciful to sinners, a divine model of the Christian teacher,” says Eusebius. He is called the “seal and complement of martyrs” as he was the last Christian slain by Roman authorities. Eusebius of Caesarea described him as “a model bishop, remarkable for his virtuous life and his ardent study of the Scriptures.” He is much revered by the Coptic Christians, although since 1969, his cult has been confined to local calendars in the Catholic Church.

Saint Peter of Alexandria, Bishop and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT LEONARD OF PORT MAURICE, PRIEST: St. Leonard, called “the great missionary of the 18th century” by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, was another Franciscan who tried to go to the foreign missions (China), failed at that and succeeded tremendously in some other work. Leonard’s father was a ship captain whose family lived in Port Maurice on the northwestern coast of Italy. At 13, Leonard went to Rome to live with his uncle Agostino and study at the Roman College. Leonard was a good student and was destined for a career in medicine. In 1697, however, he joined the Friars Minor, a decision that his uncle opposed bitterly. After ordination Leonard contracted tuberculosis and was sent to his hometown to rest or perhaps to die. He made a vow that if he recovered he would dedicate his life to the missions and to the conversion of sinners. He soon was able to begin his 40-year career of preaching retreats, Lenten sermons and parish missions throughout Italy. His missions lasted 15 to 18 days, and he often stayed an additional week to hear confessions. He said: “I believe that in those days the real and greatest fruit of the mission is gathered. As much good is done in these days as during the mission.”

As a means of keeping alive the religious fervor awakened in a mission, Leonard promoted the Stations of the Cross, a devotion which had made little progress in Italy up to this time. He also preached regularly on the Holy Name of Jesus. Since he realized that he needed time simply to pray alone, Leonard regularly made use of the ritiros (houses of recollection) that he helped establish throughout Italy. St. Leonard was canonized in 1867; in 1923 he was named patron of those who preach parish missions.

Saint Leonard of Port Maurice, Priest ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT JOHN BERCHMANS, RELIGIOUS: St. John Berchmans (1599-1621) was a young saint of the Society of Jesus, Jesuit Seminarian at the Jesuit College at Malines. He was known for his diligence and piety, impressing all with his holiness and stress on perfection in little things. He is celebrated on his Memorial Feast Day of August 13th. St. John was born in Flanders, Belgium, the eldest of five children of a shoemaker. He was a virtuous and well-liked child who would often rise early to serve at two or three Masses a day before he reached the age of seven. On Friday evenings he had a custom of making the Stations of the Cross outdoors while barefoot. When he was nine years old his mother suffered from a long and terrible illness, and John faithfully attended her bedside until she died. As a pious young person devoted to the things of God, he enrolled in a Jesuit college where he was known for being an energetic and outgoing student with great academic potential and leadership qualities. He also joined the Society of the Blessed Virgin and prayed her Office daily. He discerned a vocation to the religious life and began priestly formation as a Jesuit. His way of holiness was to perform his ordinary duties with extraordinary fidelity and perfection even in the smallest details, believing that, “If I do not become a saint when I am young, I shall never become one.” He died tragically on August 13, 1621 from dysentery and fever at the age of twenty-two while studying for the seminary in Rome. Many miracles were attributed to him after his death. St. John Berchmans is the Patron Saint of Altar boys; Altar servers; Oblate novices; Jesuit scholastics, students, Young people. His feast day is November 26th.

Saint John Berchmans, Religious ~ Pray for us 🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Tuesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 21:5-11

“There will not be left a stone upon another stone”

“While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here– the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

In today’s Gospel reading, while the disciples of Jesus, looking across at Temple in Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, talk among themselves about what a wonderful, marvelous and magnificent building the Temple is. Jesus, however, announces the ending of the Temple in Jerusalem, that took eighty years to complete. Jesus foresees a time when the Temple will no longer be present. As He says, ‘everything will be destroyed’. Jesus’ comment must have shocked the disciples. His words came to pass forty years later when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, in putting down the Jewish revolt against Rome. In the time of Jesus, the Temple in Jerusalem was built by King Herod the Great and was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This great Temple complex was the second Temple built on the site after the first Temple originally built by King Solomon of Israel was destroyed by the Babylonians. But while the Temple was truly grand and mighty in appearance, but it was full of corruption and wicked things, due to the corrupt activities of the merchants and the money changers that were there. Not only that but the beliefs and the practices of the Israelites and their descendants, the Jewish people were already astray and far from what God has intended for them, from what God had taught and shown them. The priests and those Pharisees and teachers of the Law put much greater emphasis and focus on the sacrifices at the Temple, and not truly understanding and appreciating the true meaning and purpose of the Law of God. They have grown proud and arrogant because they thought themselves as being superior and better than the others around them. They hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord, refusing to listen to the truth which the Lord Jesus Himself had brought to their midst and presented to them.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus’ statement ‘everything will be destroyed’ must have been difficult for the disciples to hear. It is difficult for us to hear today. We can be tempted to ask, ‘Where is the good news in that statement?’ ‘How does it qualify as Gospel?’ It was a tremendous loss for the Jewish people. We all have to deal with endings and losses of one kind or another. Sometimes such experiences of ending and loss can be traumatic for us, as traumatic as the destruction of the Temple and everything that went with it was for the people of Israel. When we experience some traumatic loss or ending, we can even wonder whether our own life is at an end, whether we ourselves are now lost. In such situations we need an anchor, something that doesn’t change. That anchor is the Lord. The Book of Revelation from our first readings speaks of the Lord as the one who was, who is and who is to come. In the midst of all our losses we know that the Lord endures and that His relationship with us never comes to an end. The Lord can be relied upon when all else fails, and He is always at work bringing new life out of our experiences of loss. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul expresses what Jesus states in a slightly different way, ‘The present form of this world is passing away’. On that basis St. Paul calls on the church in Corinth not to become overly absorbed in the things of this world. Rather, St. Paul would say, we are to absorb ourselves in the one who will never pass away, the Lord. If our relationship with the Lord, the one who never passes away, is central to our lives, then our relationship with the present form of the world which is destined to pass away will find its proper level. The Lord comes first for us; everything else is secondary, including the wonderful buildings that have been built in his honour. Even when these were to pass away, the Lord will endure, and that is good news.

Our first reading today from the Book of Revelations is the continuation of the account of the events that is to come at the end of time according to the vision which St. John the Apostle received at the Island of Patmos, who recounted to us what he saw in the Angel of God being sent into the world to reap the harvest at the appointed time, referring to the moment of reckoning, the end of times and the coming of the Final and Last Judgment. In that vision, St. John saw the Son of Man sending the Angels out to the world with a great sickle, to harvest the vines of the earth for it is already time for the harvest. Then, we heard how the Angels gathered the produces and put them in the winepress of the anger of God. This is a reminder for us all to cultivate a truly good and worthy life that the Lord will truly find worthy at the time of the great harvest, the end of times. It is also a reminder for us that while God’s love and kindness, His compassion and mercy for each and every one of us are truly great and generous, wonderful and ever made available always for us, but we must not forget that we must embrace His generous offer of love and mercy, and not to reject Him and ignore His outreach of love and grace. Otherwise, by our own disobedience and wickedness, our own constant rejection of His love and generous mercy, in the end, there will be nothing left for us, no share in God’s grace and salvation. It is often that we have disregarded and abandoned Him for many of the temptations and other pursuits and desires in the world all around us. That is why, for our wickedness and constant refusal to listen to Him and embrace His love, God’s righteous anger will be against those who reject Him.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, as we come to the end of the liturgical year, the liturgical readings tend to highlight the reality of endings, of things coming to an end. We are all reminded that we must always be prepared and vigilant in our lives, in each and every moments of our daily living, in our every words, actions and deeds so that we may truly be prepared for the coming of the Lord and to be truly worthy of Him at all times, so that when He comes again and when we have to account for our lives, actions and deeds, all that we have carried out in this life and even things that we have not done or failed to do when we should have done them. As we come ever closer to the end of the current liturgical year we are being constantly reminded about this so that we will have the resolve and the desire to continue living our lives worthily of the Lord as we should have always done. Let us remember that we are all weak and sinful people, who are in need of God’s great love and mercy, His healing and grace. Let us all remember to be humble and to desire this forgiveness and compassion, so that we may be truly reconciled with God, and be one day fully and completely reunited with Him. Let us all put our trust in the Lord instead on all worldly things and matters, so that by having this strong and genuine anchor in faith in God, we will not be easily shaken and swept by all the tides and waves around us, caused by all the temptations and challenges in our path. We are called to emulate the Saints and Holy men and women, particularly, those we celebrate today. Let us all continue to walk ever more faithfully in God’s path, and do whatever we can to inspire many more people to come ever closer to God. May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God, our merciful and just Creator and Master continue to help us to be ever stronger in our faith and commitment to Him. May He continue to give us the courage and strength to persevere through whatever challenges and trials, hardships and obstacles in our path so that we may not falter in our journey towards Him, and that we will continue to endure and be strong, and ever be committed in our desire to love Him and to follow Him at all times. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, all for His greater glory, now and always. Amen 🙏🏽

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER:

MONTH OF THE HOLY SOULS: The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of November to praying in a special way for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Holy Souls (also called the Faithful Departed) are members of the Church who await the purification of their souls before joining the Saints in heaven for all eternity. Specifically, they are referred to as the Church Suffering (the Saints in heaven are the Church Triumphant, and the faithful on earth are the Church Militant).The poor souls in purgatory cannot pray for themselves or do anything to hasten their entrance into heaven, but we can and ought to pray for them as an act of charity. The feast of the Holy Souls is November 2nd. 

The entire month of November falls during the liturgical season known as Tempus per Annum or Ordinary Time (formerly Time After Pentecost), which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green is a symbol of hope, as it is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. The liturgical color green is worn during the praying of Offices and celebration of Masses of Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward. As we come to the end of the Church year we are asked to consider the end times, our own as well as the world’s.

The month of November is very full of Memorials, feasts and solemnities. The main feast days are the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1), The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) (November 2), the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (November 24), and St. Andrew (November 30).
The other saint days are: St. Charles Borromeo, (November 4), Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), St. Martin of Tours, (November 11), St. Josaphat (November 12), St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (November 13) St. Albert the Great (November 15), Sts. Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude (November 16), Presentation of Mary (November 21), St. Cecilia (November 22), Sts. Clement I and St. Columban (November 23), and
St. Catherine of Alexandria (November 25). The commemorations of St. Martin de Porres (November 3), St. Leo the Great (November 10), St. Elizabeth of Hungary (November 17), and St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions (November 24) fall on Sundays and are superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER – FOR ANYONE WHO HAS LOST A CHILD: We pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community and receive peace and consolation from the Holy Spirit.

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾

PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏

Let us pray:

My most powerful Lord, You warned us of the many hardships that would come our way before Your glorious return. You did so to help prepare us and to strengthen us in those moments of testing. Please give me the grace I need to always trust in You and to surrender over to You every cross I carry. I do believe, dear Lord, that You can bring good from everything, even those things that are most difficult in life. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏🏽

Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe….have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saint Siricius; Saint Sylvester; Saint Peter of Alexandria; Saint Leonard of Port Maurice and Saint John Berchmans ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful week🙏

Blessings and  love always, Philomena💖

Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/

Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org

Sir G.L.I Opiepe’s Health and Education Foundation |

THIRTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINTS OF THE DAY – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 25TH

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? [Please see link to the article below]

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? [Please see link to this article below]

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? [Please see link to this article below]

KIND REMINDER: Please remember to continue to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory throughout the month of November

Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy Monday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time!

On this special Feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr, Patron Saint of young girls, unmarried girls, and spinsters, through her intercession and the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, may Saint Catherine intercede for young women seeking for life partners, may God grant their heart desires with God fearing life partner. We pray for God’s grace and mercy and for the safety and well-being of our children and for peace in our family and the whole world. 🙏

With special intentions for all the souls of the faithful departed. As we continue to remember the faithful departed, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints, we humbly pray for the souls of our faithful departed loved ones, for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed. May God grant our departed loved ones eternal ¹rest, may they reach their full stature. We pray for all those who mourn, for widows and widowers. May our Blessed Mother Mary Intercede for all those in pain and sorrow. We particularly pray for those mourning the loss of a loved one who recently passed away and the souls in Purgatory. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

“Blessed are those who have died in the Lord; let them rest from their labors for their good deeds go with them.” ~ Rev 14:13

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

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 🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube” | November 25, 2024 |

Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | November 25, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | November 25, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| November 25, 2024 |

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

Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |

Today’s Bible Readings: *: Monday, November 25, 2024
Reading 1, Revelation 14:1-3, 4-5
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Gospel, Luke 21:1-4

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/21/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/

THE SAINTS: WHO ARE THEY AND HOW ARE THEY CANONISED? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/01/the-saints-who-are-they-and-how-are-they-canonised/

PURGATORY: WHAT IS PURGATORY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/15/purgatory-and-limbo/

November is a month when we remember our dead in a special way. It is a month when we are prone to reflecting on death, not in a morbid way but in the hopeful way that is rooted in our faith. Please let us remember to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory this month of November and always.

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR – FEAST DAY ~ NOVEMBER 25TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. May Saint Catherine intercede for young women seeking for life partners, may God grant their heart desires with God fearing life partners. We pray for all teachers, students, Priests, Preacher and all those who proclaim the Gospel. We pray for the 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. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and we pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for all parents and children, for peace, love, justice and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. 🙏

SAINT CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Catherine of Alexandria (282 – 305), also known as St. Catherine of the Wheel, a revered martyr of the fourth century and she is one of the “Fourteen Holy Helpers.” St. Catherine was the subject of great interest and devotion among later medieval Christians. Devotees relished tales of her rejection of marriage, her rebuke to an emperor, and her decision to cleave to Christ even under threat of torture. Pope John Paul II restored the celebration of her memorial to the Roman Catholic calendar in 2002.

St. Catherine was born to a noble pagan family in Alexandria, Egypt, and her father was governor of the city. She was both a princess and a noted scholar, who became a Christian at 14, a virgin by choice (before the emergence of organized monasticism), and eventually a martyr for the faith. This holy virgin was most distinguished by the nobility of her birth as well as by her beauty, wealth, and learning. She was an intelligent child who devoted herself to study, and converted to the Christian faith after the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her in a vision. Following her conversion at the age of eighteen through a vision of Mary and her holy Child, St. Catherine preached the Gospel throughout Alexandria. The Egyptian city of Alexandria was a center of learning in the ancient world, and tradition represents St. Catherine as the highly educated daughter of a noble pagan family. It is said that a vision of the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus spurred her conversion, and the story has inspired works of art which depict her decision to live as a virginal “spouse of Christ.” St. Catherine also denounced the Emperor Maxentius for persecuting Christians. Many of her fellow Christians were put to death under the reign of Roman Emperor Maxentius. Fifty of her converts were then burned to death.

The Emperor Maxentius ruled Egypt during St. Catherine’s brief lifetime, a period when multiple co-emperors jointly governed the Roman Empire. During this time, just before the Emperor Constantine’s embrace and legalization of Christianity, the Church was growing but also attracting persecution. St. Catherine, eager to defend the faith she had embraced, came before Maxentius to protest a brutal campaign against the Church. At first, the emperor decided to try and persuade her to renounce Christ. But in a debate that the emperor proceeded to arrange between St. Catherine and a number of pagan philosophers, St. Catherine prevailed – with her skillful apologetics converting them instead. Maxentius’ next stratagem involved an offer to make her his mistress. The emperor offered Catherine a royal marriage if she would renounce her faith, but she refused regarding herself as a bride of Christ, her refusal landed in prison.

St. Catherine was imprisoned, and while in captivity, and Maxentius was away, through her newfound fame, St. Catherine converted the Emperor Maxentius’s wife and two hundred of his soldiers. He had them all put to death. Enraged by St. Catherine’s boldness and resolve, the Emperor resolved to break her will through torture on a spiked wheel. St. Catherine was to be tortured and killed by being torn apart on a spiked wheel, but the wheel fell to pieces when it touched her. She was finally martyred by beheading. Emperor Maxentius later died in a historic battle against his Co-Emperor Constantine in October of 312, after which he was remembered disdainfully, if at all. St. Catherine, meanwhile, inspired generations of philosophers, consecrated women, and martyrs. She was one of the voices heard by St. Joan of Arc.

Ironically, or perhaps appropriately – given both her embrace of virginity, and her “mystic marriage” to Christ – young women in many Western European countries were once known to seek her intercession in finding their husbands. Regrettably, the torture wheel to which she herself may have been subjected was subsequently nicknamed the “Catherine wheel,” and used even among Christian kingdoms. Today, St. Catherine of Alexandria is more appropriately known as the namesake of a monastery at Mount Sinai that claims to be the oldest in the world. St. Catherine is the Patron Saint of young girls; students; philosophers; preachers; apologists; theologians; teachers; spinsters; unmarried girls; craftsmen who work with a wheel (potters; spinners; etc.); archivists; attorneys; barristers; dying people; educators; jurists; knife grinders; knife sharpeners; lawyers; librarians; libraries; maidens; mechanics; millers; nurses; old maids; scholars; schoolchildren; scribes; secretaries; stenographers; tanners; turners; wheelwrights. St. Catherine’s feast day is celebrated on November 25th.

PRAYER: Almighty ever-living God, who gave Saint Catherine of Alexandria to your people as a Virgin and an invincible Martyr, grant that through her intercession we may be strengthened in faith and constancy and spend ourselves without reserve for the unity of the Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son. who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever… Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, Monday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 21:1-4

“He noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins”

“When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus notices a widow putting a tiny amount of money into the Temple treasury. In the Gospels, Jesus had a keen awareness of other people. He noticed people that others would normally ignore or just not see. He not only noticed people but he recognized that their ordinary human behaviour could speak to us of God in various ways. In today’s Gospel, most people would only have noticed the rich people putting their more substantial offering into the treasury. However, Jesus recognized that in giving her two small coins this widow was giving all she had to live on. She was giving everything to God. Perhaps she reminded Jesus of Himself. At this point in His ministry, Jesus is in Jerusalem and is about to enter into His passion and death when He too would give everything to God and to humanity in love. Just as the widow had nothing left over after she put in her two copper coins, so Jesus had nothing left over as He hung from the cross. Although the widow gave little, in reality she was giving in the spirit of Jesus. She was a Jesus figure, a true disciple. The Gospel reading suggests that we are often at our best when we give a little, if a little is all we have, whether it is a little in financial resources or a little in other ways. At certain times in our lives, especially as we get older, we may have little in the way of energy or health or mobility. Yet if at such times we give generously from the little we have, our lives will be powerfully witnessing to Jesus’ own generous giving, and He won’t fail to notice.

The widow’s mite’ in the Gospel reading brings home the paradox that, sometime, in giving a lot, some people are actually giving a little, whereas other people, in giving a little, are actually giving a lot. The widow gave less than anybody else to the temple treasury, but, in reality, she gave an enormous amount, because she gave everything she had. That paradox is true even of our own individual lives. What Jesus truly wants us to know is that even if we are facing hardships and challenges in our own lives, it does not mean that we cannot give from even our sufferings and poverty. There are times when we may appear to be giving very little but, in reality, we are giving a lot, because we are giving as much as we can give. For various reasons, we can be below par. Our health may be troubling us; our energy level may be low because of some personal issue we are struggling with. What we have within ourselves to give is much less than it usually is. In those circumstances, even to give a little of ourselves can be giving a great deal, can, in fact, be giving everything, because all we have to give is a little. The widow in today’s Gospel reminds us that, even when we have little to give, we can still be extremely generous. As Christians, we are always called to be generous with ourselves, to love even when there is nothing else we can give in terms of physical and material goods. We can still give others our time and love, our compassion and care. We must always strive to be kind and compassionate to everyone, even when we ourselves have been beset by evil and hatred by those who are around us. We must always remember the examples set by our Lord Himself, Who has forgiven those who have persecuted and oppressed Him, condemned Him to die an unjust death. He prayed for those who had hated and condemned Him, not hating or being angry against them, or seeking vengeance. This is the kind of love that we all must aspire and strive to have in us as well, brothers and sisters, love that is truly pure and selfless.

Our first reading today is the continuation of the account from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle in which the great vision of St. John was told to us, about the presence of the Lamb of God, the Saviour of the whole world, Our Lord Jesus Christ, on Mount Zion, surrounded by the one hundred and forty-four thousand, a large number meant to represent the vast number of those who have been saved and made worthy by their faith in God. All those people have been found worthy in their faith and dedication to God, having lived worthily and righteously amidst all the challenges, temptations and difficulties, all the sufferings that they had to endure in the midst of their obedience and faith in God. It is a reminder for all of us that regardless of the challenges and trials, all the persecutions and the difficult paths that we have had to traverse in order to come towards the Lord, all these perseverance and endurance in faith, obeying the will of God and doing whatever He has asked us all to do, in the end, we will share in the triumph and eternal glory, true joy and bliss that the Lord has reassured and promised us, and which He showed us all through His disciple, St. John, to share with us the hope of everlasting life, the eternal and true glory that we will enjoy with Him in His Holy Presence, freed from the bondage and dominion of evil and sin. All of us will share in the glory and joy of the Saints, and be truly happy forevermore.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that all of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people should always keep our faith in the Lord firm and strong amidst all the difficulties, challenges and hardships that we may be facing in life. As we come ever closer to the end of the current liturgical year that is ending this week, we are constantly being reminded of the need for all of us to remain strong in our faith and commitment to God, in our desire to love Him and to follow Him courageously and honourably all the time. We must not be easily dissuaded and prevented from committing ourselves to the Lord by the many obstacles, trails and opposition we may have to face in our journey. We are all reminded today that as we continue to carry on our lives in the world today, in each and every moments of our lives, we should be always be mindful of everyone around us, of all the sufferings and difficulties that each and every one of us may be facing in our own respective lives. God has shown us all what it means to be truly loving and generous, and to be truly rooted in His love and compassion. We must never ignore our calling and mission to be truly loving and compassionate towards everyone, regardless who they are, in all and every moments of our lives, doing our very best to show them all the love of God manifested through our genuine actions, deeds, all the care and concern that we have shown one another, in how we all live our lives in a selfless and loving manner. As Christians we must never be selfish and wicked in all of our deeds and actions. Our lives should indeed reflect the light of God, His virtues and wonderful truth in everything that we say and do, in all of our interactions with one another, just as the Lord Himself has shown and taught us through His Church and His disciples. All of us must always embody our Christian faith within us, or else our faith is meaningless, empty and pointless, and will not avail us on the Day of Judgment. We are all reminded that we have been given so many opportunities by the Lord and endowed with all sorts of various blessings, talents and other things so that we may make good use of them for the benefit of everyone, for ourselves and for everyone around us, through our love and compassion. We are called to emulate the examples of the Saints and Holy men and women, particularly those we celebrate today, St. Catherine of Alexandria. The great examples, faith and commitment, as well as the courage and perseverance of St. Catherine of Alexandria should indeed inspire us all Christians in our own faith in God. May the Lord, our ever loving God and Father, our wonderful Creator and King continue to guide us all in our lives today, so that we may draw ever closer to His presence, and may all of us continue to be inspired by the great examples shown by His saints, like that of St. Catherine of Alexandria whose life we are reflecting upon today. May all of us continue to love Him first and foremost in our lives and do our best to glorify Him through each and every one of our actions, words and deeds in life. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to remain faithful even when everything else seems unsteady, He will keep us steady. May the Lord bless us all in our every works, efforts, and endeavours for His greater glory. Amen🙏

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER:

MONTH OF THE HOLY SOULS: The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of November to praying in a special way for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Holy Souls (also called the Faithful Departed) are members of the Church who await the purification of their souls before joining the Saints in heaven for all eternity. Specifically, they are referred to as the Church Suffering (the Saints in heaven are the Church Triumphant, and the faithful on earth are the Church Militant).The poor souls in purgatory cannot pray for themselves or do anything to hasten their entrance into heaven, but we can and ought to pray for them as an act of charity. The feast of the Holy Souls is November 2nd. 

The entire month of November falls during the liturgical season known as Tempus per Annum or Ordinary Time (formerly Time After Pentecost), which is represented by the liturgical color green. Green is a symbol of hope, as it is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. The liturgical color green is worn during the praying of Offices and celebration of Masses of Ordinary Time. The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward. As we come to the end of the Church year we are asked to consider the end times, our own as well as the world’s.

The month of November is very full of Memorials, feasts and solemnities. The main feast days are the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1), The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) (November 2), the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (November 24), and St. Andrew (November 30).
The other saint days are: St. Charles Borromeo, (November 4), Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome (November 9), St. Martin of Tours, (November 11), St. Josaphat (November 12), St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (November 13) St. Albert the Great (November 15), Sts. Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude (November 16), Presentation of Mary (November 21), St. Cecilia (November 22), Sts. Clement I and St. Columban (November 23), and
St. Catherine of Alexandria (November 25). The commemorations of St. Martin de Porres (November 3), St. Leo the Great (November 10), St. Elizabeth of Hungary (November 17), and St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions (November 24) fall on Sundays and are superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10_1.cfm

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER – FOR ANYONE WHO HAS LOST A CHILD: We pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community and receive peace and consolation from the Holy Spirit.

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾

PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏

Let us pray:

My wealthy Lord, Your riches are all that matter in life. You bestow the riches of eternal salvation and countless other graces upon those who have given all to You. I do give my life to You, dear Lord. I give all that I have and all that I am. Please receive the offering of my life and use me in accord with Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏🏽

Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe….have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful week🙏

Blessings and  love always, Philomena💖

Daily Reflections | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/

Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org

Sir G.L.I Opiepe’s Health and Education Foundation |