As we gatheer in communion this World Mission sunday, I extend to your a heartfelt invitation from Pope Francis, nspired by the Gospel: “Go and invite everyone to the banquet (ef. Mt 22: 9)”. This call to mission resonates deeply with our faith’s core, urging us to share God’s love with the world.
Over a century ago, our own Catholic community in the United States was nutured through the generosity of the worldwide Church that contributed to the World Mission Sunday was nurtured through the generosity of the worldwide Church that contributed to the World Mission Sunday collection. Now, we are called to extend that same generosity to our bothers nad sisters in over 1,150 mission territories across Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Pacific Island, and the Middle East.
The collection on World Mission Sunday directly surpports seminaries, future religious sisters, catechist, Catholic schools that provide essential education, and healthcare centers that provide essential care, embodying the love of Christ.
As members of the Catholic Church, which is universal by its very nature, we are invited to participate actively in this mission. Our contributions and prayers on World Mission Sunday support the Church’s viral work of evangelization, inviting all to experience the joy and hope found in Christ.
I urge you, dear friends, to respond generously to this call, Let us unite in prayer for the success of the Church’s missionary activities and for the missionaries who dedicate their lives to spreading of Gospel. Your generosity is a powerful witness to the love and compassion at the heart of our faith.
May this World Mission Sunday deepen our commitment to the Church’s universal mission. Together, let us rejoice in the oppoprtunity to share God’s love with the world, inviting everyone to the banquet of the Lord.
With every blessing, Most Reverend Michael F. Olson, STD MA.
WORLD MISSION SUNDAY, 2024 Theme: “Go and invite everyone to the banquet” (cf. Mt 22:9)
CANONIZATION OF 14 BLESSED
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 20, 2024
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: Starting, October 19th (Day 2). Novena to Saint Jude is prayed for Desperate Situations and Desperate Cases—especially for an end to war and terrorism. Prayed anytime of year, especially October 19–27th in preparation for the Feast of Saint Jude on October 28th | Novena prayer and link below
Greetings and blessings, beloved family. Happy World Mission Sunday!
On this special Feast day and World Mission Sunday, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for missions, missionaries, the poor, the needy and most vulnerable around the world. We ask for the intercession of the new Saints in the church. May they intercede for us. 🙏🏽
Watch “Holy Mass and Canonization of 14 Blessed | World Mission Sunday | Pope Francis | LIVE from the Vatican | October 20, 2024 |
“The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many”
In today’s Gospel reading, the brothers James and John are taking the opportunity to stake a claim to be the greatest among the disciples. They asked Jesus for the best seats in His glorious kingdom, immediately to the left and right of his throne. The other ten members of the twelve are described as ‘indignant’ at James and John. They recognize that the request of James and John could put them at a disadvantage. The potential gain for James and John would mean a loss for the other members of the Twelve. Competition among Jesus’ first disciples for the best places in Jesus’ glorious kingdom appears to have been very keen. Jesus does not grant the request of James and John, and then immediately addresses Himself to the indignation of the other ten. The gospel reading suggests that the question ‘Who is the greatest?’ was alive and well among Jesus’ first disciples. While the disciples were concerned with the question, ‘Who is the greatest?’, the more important question for Jesus was ‘In what does greatness consist?’ In the previous chapter of Mark’s, Jesus had already given clear teaching on what greatness in God’s kingdom looks like. The disciples had been arguing with one another as to who was the greatest. In response to their concern with the question, ‘Who is the greatest?’, Jesus went on to give a teaching on what ‘greatness’ really consists in, from God’s perspective. He declared on that occasion, ‘whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all’. As an example of the kind of service he is talking about, Jesus took a little child, placed his arms around the child and declared, ‘whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me’. Service consists above all in welcoming and caring for the most vulnerable among them. This teaching of Jesus appears to have fallen on deaf ears, as is evidenced by today’s Gospel reading. Jesus again has to make clear how greatness is understood in God’s kingdom, ‘anyone who wants to become great among you must by your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all’. Jesus knew that being a servant to others in self-emptying love will often entail the way of the cross, which is why he had asked James and John, ‘Can you drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I must be baptised?’. Jesus’ own faithfulness to the service of all required that he drink the cup of suffering; it entailed his being immersed, baptized, into a sea of suffering. It is only when we have answered the question, ‘In what does greatness consist?’ that the question, ‘Who is the greatest?’ can be answered. Jesus defines greatness by his own self-emptying loving service of all. As He declared at the end of the Gospel reading, He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for others. Saint Paul captures this truth about Jesus when he says of Him that He ‘emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant’. The truly great people among us are those who serve others in a selfless way, without looking for anything in return. We can all identify such people in our own community, in our own families. When we meet such people we will always feel greatly blessed by them. There will have been occasions in our own lives when we will have given expression to this form of greatness. These are the times when we gave ourselves to others at some cost to ourselves, without any obvious benefit to ourselves. The gospel reading suggests that such selfless service of others did not come easy to Jesus’ first disciples and, it does not always come easy to us either. We can all be tempted to turn in on ourselves, even to use others to serve our needs.
In the Gospel reading, when St. James and St. John requested the special favours and position from the Lord, to sit on His right and left, Lord made His two disciples, St. James and St. John to understand the significance of that request. That there are sufferings, challenges and sufferings that they would have to endure, and they would have to drink from the same cup of suffering which He Himself had to drink. What He wanted to tell them is that, following Him as a disciple is not about seeking the glory and satisfaction of the world but about service, to serve God wholeheartedly and to follow Him ever more faithfully and courageously despite the many challenges and trials we may encounter in life. All of us must not think that we will be rewarded with status, power and glory as many of us might have thought that we deserve for having followed the Lord and obeyed Him. Many of the disciples had the ambition and desires in their heart for all those things, and that was why they were unhappy at the actions of the two sons of Zebedee, and why they often bickered and quarrelled with one another over this matter.
In our first reading this Sunday from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, the prophet spoke about the prophecy of the Suffering Servant or Suffering Messiah, which was a premonition of what the Messiah or Saviour sent by God to His people would have to endure. This revelation of what the Lord would be doing through His Messiah or Saviour is a reminder for us that each one of us as Christians are not immune to sufferings, hardships and difficulties. If the Lord, our God Himself has suffered great challenges, been rejected, humiliated and persecuted greatly for speaking and delivering the truth that He Himself has brought into our midst, then who among us can say that we may not face the same challenges and difficulties as well? We are reminded that sufferings, trials, persecutions, obstacles and difficulties are all parts of our ministry and journey as Christians. We may encounter moments when we may end up being in difficult position and we may have to struggle in deciding how to progress forward in life, and whether we want to continue to follow the Lord or not, or whether we follow the path of the world and what is comfortable for us instead. And this is where we need to make a strong and firm stand of our faith, to continue to hold strongly to our faith and commitment to God, despite all the various difficulties and obstacles we may encounter in our path. The Lord has always been with us, by our side, no matter what, and He has always guided us throughout all of our journey.
Our second reading today from the Epistle to the Hebrews talks about the role of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Saviour of the whole world as the High Priest of all mankind and all of creation, by all that He had done in offering Himself as the perfect and most worthy sacrifice for the atonement and forgiveness of our many sins and wickedness, all the things that had prevented us from coming closer to God and His salvation. This same High Priest, Who has offered Himself as the perfect and worthy sacrifice, also knew our sufferings and trials, Himself having been subjected to the same temptations and coercions we ourselves faced, but He did not give in to those temptations. And in solidarity with us, by sharing in our humanity and our nature, He has united each one of us to Himself, and helping us all to realise what God has wanted from us, that is for us to embrace the salvation and love that He has shown to us so generously through His Son, that by following the example and having faith in the same Son of God, our one and true High Priest, Jesus Christ, all of us may receive and attain the fullness of God’s promise and assurance of eternal life, of true joy and happiness which He has always intended for us from the very beginning. We might have been separated from Him because of our disobedience and sins, but God’s love is far greater than any of those obstacles, temptations, pressures and all the other distractions and things that we may encounter in our path towards our salvation in God. The Lord understands our weakness because he was tempted in every way that we are. Indeed, in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was strongly tempted to turn from the path of self-emptying service, because He saw clearly where it was leading Him. Yet, He resisted the temptation and renewed His commitment to the path He had taken since His baptism. It is because the Lord knows our struggle to be great in the way He has defined greatness that, in the words of the second reading, we can be confident in approaching God’s ‘throne of grace’. There we will find mercy when we fail and the grace to keep on travelling the Lord’s path of self-emptying service of others, even after failure.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures on this World Mission Sunday, all of us are reminded of our obligation as Christians, to obey the Lord our God, His will, His Law and commandments. Each and every one of us as the disciples and followers of the Lord ought to live our lives humbly, righteously and virtuously as He has always shown and taught us how to do, and be good and dedicated men and women, who also obey the rules and laws of whichever countries and states that we belong to, or wherever we dwell in. We are reminded clearly by the Lord that as Christians each and every one of us must not allow ourselves to be tempted and swayed by the various worldly desires, ambitions and temptations which can lead one astray in the journey towards the Lord. All of us must instead continue to focus ourselves upon the Lord, our God and Saviour, and upon all the love, attention, care and compassion which He has always lavished on us. We must always hold strongly to this assurance of the Lord’s promises and all that He had reminded us through His Son, in how He has made His love and compassion tangible for us, making Himself approachable and accessible to us, so that we may come to seek His ever patient love and mercy, and be truly reconciled with Him. Let us all therefore remind one another that as Christians, as the disciples and followers of our Lord and God, we must always strive to be humble in all things, and to be ready and willing to listen to the Lord speaking to us, reminding and helping us to remain truly faithful to Him, and to restrain ourselves from all the pride, ego, ambition, hubris, greed, desires and all the things which may bring us away from the Lord and His grace. May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God continue to help us to stay true to our faith and commitment in Him, and may He encourage and strengthen us to remain firm in our faith and devotion despite all the challenges that we may have to face in our journey and life, now and always. May the Lord in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to bear rich fruits and go where the Lord is leading us. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always, forevermore. Amen🙏
WORLD MISSION SUNDAY (WMS): Today, we celebrate World Mission Day, also known as World Mission Sunday, was established by Pope Pius XI in 1926. It is usually observed on the third Sunday or second yo the last Sunday of October. World Mission Sunday 2024, is observed on Saturday and Sunday, October 19-20, 2024. World Mission Sunday is a special day that unites Catholics worldwide in prayer, solidarity, and support for the Church’s mission efforts. Pope Francis’ message for World Mission Sunday this year reflects on the official theme which is rooted in tge Gospel of St. Matthew: “Go and invite everyone to the banquet” (cf. Matthew 22:9). This theme reflects the inclusive and urgent call to bring God’s love to everyone. We are invited to join in this universal mission to spread the Gospel and invite all to experience the joy of Christ’s message! The Host of the Banquet: Pope Francis!
Instituted in 1926 by Pope Pius XI as a mandatory, global second collection, the banquet that is World Mission Sunday has since then been hosted by the Pope, and the table set by those who answer Christ’s call to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), extending an inclusive invitation to all corners of the Earth. The WMS is meant to be held in every parish in the world, the proceeds benefit 1,150 territories where the Gospel has not yet been received, has been only recently embraced, or is courageously upheld in the face of persecution. The gifts received support the following groups: Seminarians – 38,140; Shelters and Orphanages – 8,750; Health Centers – 12,000; Catechists – 844,000 and Religious Sisters- 258,540.
Pope Francis in his message for this World Mission Sunday described Christ’s words in the Gospel of St. Matthew (cf. Mt 22:1-14): “The theme I have chosen for this year’s World Mission Day is taken from the Gospel parable of the wedding banquet (cf. Mt 22:1-14). After the guests refused his invitation, the king, the main character in the story, tells his servants: “Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find” (v. 9). Reflecting on this key passage in the context of the parable and of Jesus’ own life, we can discern several important aspects of evangelization. These appear particularly timely for all of us, as missionary disciples of Christ, during this final stage of the synodal journey that, in the words of its motto, “Communion, Participation, Mission”, seeks to refocus the Church on her primary task, which is the preaching of the Gospel in today’s world. 1.“Go and invite!” Mission as a tireless going out to invite others to the Lord’s banquet. In the king’s command to his servants we find two words that express the heart of the mission: the verbs “to go out” and “to invite”. 2. “To the marriage feast”. The eschatological and Eucharistic dimension of the mission of Christ and the Church. In the parable, the king asks the servants to bring the invitation to his son’s wedding banquet. That banquet is a reflection of the eschatological banquet. It is an image of ultimate salvation in the Kingdom of God, fulfilled even now by the coming of Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God, who has given us life in abundance (cf. Jn 10:10), symbolized by the table set with succulent food and with fine wines, when God will destroy death forever (cf. Is 25:6-8). 3. “Everyone”. The universal mission of Christ’s disciples in the fully synodal and missionary Church. The third and last reflection concerns the recipients of the King’s invitation: “everyone”. As I emphasized, “This is the heart of mission: that ‘all’, excluding no one. Every mission of ours, then, is born from the heart of Christ in order that he may draw all to Himself”.
Pope Francis invites us through his message for World Mission Day 2024: “Everyone, every man and every woman, is invited by God to partake of His grace, which transforms and saves. One need simply say “yes” to this gratuitous divine gift, accepting it and allowing oneself be transformed by it, putting it on like a “wedding robe” (cf. Mt 22:12).
As Christians, we’re all called to kindle the fire of Christ’s love in our hearts. Our burning faith fuels our actions, inspiring us to serve others in our daily lives. Every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ. And the Church, the community of Christ’s disciples, has no other mission than that of bringing the Gospel to the entire world by bearing witness to Christ. To evangelize is the very identity of the Church.
World Mission Sunday is an effort of the entire Church to help more than 1,150 dioceses that cannot sustain themselves because they are too poor, young or actively persecuted. Until 1908, the Church in the United States was mission territory. We relied on this fund to build our churches and seminaries and support our clergy and religious. Today many foreign missions rely on our generosity to sustain the Church, which is an instrument of God’s love, mercy, hope and peace. The generous collection on this day, supports mission dioceses in Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands and parts of Latin America and Europe.
A worldwide collection is held each year on World Mission Day for the societies, which consists of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, the Society of the Holy Childhood, and the Pontifical Missionary Union. The first three bodies were granted the title “Pontifical” 100 years ago, the pope observed in his message. The Pontifical Mission Societies have the task of financially supporting missionary activity, starting with Blessed Pauline Jaricot’s idea of involving ordinary faithful in missionary work. There are four Pontifical Mission Societies founded in the 19th century: the Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood, founded in 1843 in France by Monsignor Forbin-Janson; the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, founded by Jaricot; the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, founded in 1889 on the inspiration of Bishop Jules-Alphonse Cousin of Nagasaki for the formation of priests and put into practice by Stefanie and Jeanne Bigard; and finally the Pontifical Missionary Union, which is an association of clergy, religious, and laity created to stir in the Church a passion for the mission. Today the mission has changed profoundly. Western countries have shown less and less missionary zeal. Yet local dioceses are increasingly involved in some territories; there is an increasingly strong presence of local Pontifical Mission Societies in digital media; and there are more and more missionary families.
Today on this Mission Sunday, we remember our missionaries abroad, priests, religious men and women, and lay men and women, and to support them all by our prayers and by our contributions to the Mission Sunday collection. Supporting our missionaries in churches in foreign lands by our prayers and our material resources is one of the ways we show ourselves to be missionary. We are also called to be missionary here at home. To be missionary is in some way to bear witness to our faith. We are being missionary whenever we witness to our faith in our homes, in our parishes, in our places of work and relaxation, in the many social contexts in which we find ourselves. We are called not only to speak of Jesus but to make Jesus visible, to make the Redeemer’s face shine in every corner of the earth, as we bear witness that we have found in Jesus the meaning and truth about life. Proclaiming the gospel, in that sense, belongs to the whole church. We are all called to make Jesus visible, to make the Redeemer’s face shine in the whole world. When Jesus sent out His disciples on mission, He always sent them out together. He never sent them out alone. We need each other’s witness. We need each other to be missionary if we, like St. Paul, are to fight the good fight to the end, if we are to keep the faith.
On World Mission Sunday, we join our Holy Father in supporting his missions. As we pray and respond here at home, we share in those celebrations taking place in every parish and school throughout the world. Together, through our prayers and financial support, we bring the Lord’s mercy and concrete help to the most vulnerable communities in the Pope’s missions. In a world where so much divides us, World Mission Sunday rejoices in our unity as missionaries by our Baptism, as it offers each one of us an opportunity to support the life-giving presence of the Church among the poor and marginalized in more than 1,150 mission dioceses. The perfect example of a missionary disciple of Jesus is Mary, our heavenly mother. She is inviting us to be a witness for Christ by loving and helping our fellow men. Let us therefore, “Go and invite everyone to the banquet” (cf. Mt 22:9).
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: Prayed anytime of year, but especially October 19–27th in preparation for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude on October 28th. | https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-to-st-jude–desperate-situations-and-hopeless-cases-305
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: Desperate Situations and Hopeless Cases ~ DAY 2
Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly – (make your request here) – and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen 🙏
PRAYER: May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen 🙏
May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen 🙏
St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen 🙏
Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity. (say this prayer, followed by the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be)
Dear Apostle and Martyr for Christ, you left us an Epistle in the New Testament. With good reason many invoke you when illness is at a desperate stage. We now recommend to your kindness (name of patient) who is in a critical condition. May the cure of this patient increase his/her faith and love for the Lord of Life, for the glory of our merciful God. Amen 🙏
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT PAUL OF THE CROSS, PRIEST AND SAINT IRENE, MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 20TH Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest and Saint Irene, Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable. Amen🙏
SAINT PAUL OF THE CROSS, PRIEST: St. Paul of the Cross (1694–1775) was born Paul Daneo, on January 3, 1694 at Ovada in the Republic of Genoa near Turin, Italy, the second of sixteen children—only six of whom survived infancy. His infancy and youth were spent in great innocence and piety. His devout parents ensured his strong religious upbringing. In his childhood Paul went to daily Mass, spent much time before the Blessed Sacrament, and attended to his studies. St. Paul of the Cross devoted himself to the service of the poor and the sick. He is best known for his apostolic zeal and his great penances. He taught catechism in the local churches before experiencing a deep religious conversion at the age of 19 through the writings of St. Francis de Sales. After a brief stint as a soldier and declining an offer for a good marriage, at the age of 26 he learned through prayer that God was calling him to found a new religious order. He was inspired to found the congregation, having while in ecstasy beheld the habit which he and his companions were to wear. He was instructed in a vision as to what the new habit of his order should look like: a black tunic bearing a heart surmounted by a white cross, with the words “Passion of Jesus Christ” written inside the heart. To the religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience he added a fourth: to spread devotion to Christ’s Passion among the faithful.
After consulting his director, Bishop Gastinara of Alexandria in Piedmont, he reached the conclusion that God wished him to establish a congregation in honor of the Passion of Jesus Christ. He founded the congregation of the Passionists. On November 22, 1720, the Bishop vested him with the habit that had been shown to him in a vision, the same that the Passionists wear at the present time. From that moment the saint applied himself to prepare the Rules of his institute, and in 1721 he went to Rome to obtain the approbation of the Holy See. At first he failed, but finally succeeded when Benedict XIV approved the Rules in 1741 and 1746. Meanwhile St. Paul built his first monastery near Obitello. Some time later he established a larger community at the Church of Sts. John and Paul in Rome. For 50 years St. Paul remained the indefatigable missionary of Italy. God lavished upon him the greatest gifts in the supernatural order, but he treated himself with the greatest rigor, and believed that he was a useless servant and a great sinner. His mission was to ignite a love for Jesus in the hearts of the faithful at a time when many saw Him only as a great moral teacher. St. Paul of the Cross was one of the most powerful preachers of his day, as well as a mystic of the 18th century, and he was known to bring even the most hardened sinners to tears. He also took special care of the sick, poor, and suffering. His saintly death occurred at Rome on October 18, 1775, at the age of 81. He was canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1867. He’s the Patron Saint of the Passionist order. His feast day is October 20th.
QUOTES OF SAINT PAUL OF THE CROSS: ☆”Entrust yourself entirely to God. He is a Father and a most loving Father at that, who would rather let heaven and earth collapse than abandon anyone who trusted in him.” ☆”Place your hopes in the mercy of God and the merits of our Redeemer; say often, looking at the crucifix: There are centered all my hopes.” ☆”The Passion of Christ is the greatest and most stupendous work of Divine Love. The greatest and most overwhelming work of God’s love.” ☆”Be very careful to retain peace of heart, because Satan casts his lines in troubled waters.” ☆”Live in such a way that all may know that you bear outwardly as well as inwardly the image of Christ crucified, the model of all gentleness and mercy.” ☆”If we cannot spend much time at prayer, no matter: to act well is always to pray well. Be attentive to your duties, and at the same time be attentive to God by frequently purifying your heart in the immense ocean of divine love.” ☆”The Mass is the most favorable occasion to speak with the eternal Father, because then we offer Him His only Son as a victim for our salvation. Before celebrating, reflect on the sufferings of your Redeemer, commune peaceably with Him, even in the midst of dryness; carry to the altar the needs of the entire world.”
PRAYER: Lord, may the prayers of St. Paul who lowed the Cross with a singular love gain Your grace for us. May we be inspired by his example and embrace our own cross with courage. O Jesus, may Your holy cross always remind us to make sacrifices for the sake of love. Bind us together in service and unity. Teach us to lead others to salvation and to reflect on Your Passion. Saint Paul, pray for us. Amen 🙏
SAINT IRENE, MARTYR: St. Irene was a Portuguese nun who was martyred in defense of her chastity in the year 653 in the ancient town of Scalabris. St. Irene, a beautiful and chaste Portuguese girl, was murdered before she reached the age of 20. Her noble, pious parents, wishing to protect and prepare her to take her rightful position in society, sent her to a convent school and then arranged for a monk to tutor her privately at home. St. Irene was an assiduous pupil and a devout believer, the only times she ever left her house was to attend mass or to pray in the sanctuary dedicated to Saint Peter on his feast-day. A young nobleman named Britald happened to see her on one of these rare outings and fell desperately in love with her. Every time that she went out he waited to catch a glimpse of her, followed her to church, and eventually made his suit known to her; however, Irene gave him to understand that she would never marry him. Thus rejected, Britald fell into a deep depression and became so ill that the doctors who were called in to tend him gave him up for lost. Hearing of this, Irene visited him and told him that she had refused him because she was no longer free, having already taken a vow of virginity. Britald at once accepted her decision and gradually recovered his health. Before Irene left him he had sworn that he would respect, and make others respect, her vocation as a holy virgin, and the two had parted like brother and sister, promising each other that they would meet again in Paradise.
St. Irene returned home and resumed the life of seclusion and study, intending to make her entrance into a convent before long. But the monk who was giving her private lessons proved to be a lecherous scoundrel, and behaved towards her in a manner as dishonorable as Britald’s was honorable. St. Irene repulsed him and had him dismissed at once; but his lust turning to a desire for revenge, the monk then began to spread slanderous rumors about her. To those who asked him why he was no longer giving the girl her private lessons, he replied that he had left on learning that she was about to become a mother. This rumor quickly circulated throughout the town and at length reached Britald who, being frank and trusting and unused to lies, believed what he was told. In a passion of rage and jealousy, he hired a mercenary soldier to kill her. Soon afterwards, as she was returning home from visiting an old man who was crippled, the assassin approached her from behind and killed her with a single stroke of his sword. Her body, which was thrown into the river, was later retrieved by some Benedictines on the banks of the Tagus, near the town of Scalabris. They gave her a proper burial, made known her story, and not long afterwards, so great was the veneration in which she was held, the name of the town of Scalabis was changed to Santarem (Saint Irene).
St. Irene, Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER:
MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY: The Catholic Church designates and dedicate October as the Month of the Holy Rosary. During this month the faithful venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary especially under her title of Our Lady of the Rosary, and make special effort to honor the Holy Rosary with group recitations and rosary processions. The Lady of the Rosary honors a large battle between the Catholic Church and the Muslim caliphate of the Ottoman Empire. This battle, in the Gulf of Patras, near Greece, took place in the 16th century, on October 7, 1571. St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers, is the Saint to whom Our Lady famously appeared and gave the prayers of the Holy Rosary to assist him as a spiritual weapon in combating heresy and leading souls back to the one, true Catholic faith. Our Blessed Mother Mary ~ Pray for us 🙏
THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY: Until about the 15th century hundreds of mysteries were part of the Rosary devotion then the 15 mysteries that we know today were definitively fixed as “the Mysteries of the Rosary.” Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in 2002 added the five Luminous Mysteries.
Through the meditations of the complete Rosary one recalls and has impressed on his mind, the Popes tell us, “the chief mysteries of the Christian religion,” “the mysteries of our Redemption,” “the great mysteries of Jesus and His Mother united in joys, sorrows, and triumphs.” The twenty mysteries are divided into four equal groups, known as “The Joyful,” “The Sorrowful,” “The Glorious,” and “The Luminous Mysteries.”
PRAYER OF ST. LOUISE DE MONTFORT: O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your might, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Subdue every hostile power, the devil, the world and the flesh, in the strength of Your Spirit, for the glory of Your Father, Amen 🙏🏽
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER – FOR A SHARED MISSION: We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
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 🙏
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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
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🙏
Let us pray:
My freeing Lord, You speak all Truth clearly and gently. You desire to enter my life, reveal my sin, and help me to overcome it. Please give me the grace I need to always listen to You and to allow Your words to change my life. Please free me from every disordered desire and tendency in my life, dear Lord, so that I can experience the joy of true freedom. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏🏽
Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saint Paul of the Cross and Saint Irene ~ Pray for us 🙏
Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed, safe, and grace-filled Sunday and week ahead🙏🏽
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: Starting today, October 19th (Day 1). Novena to Saint Jude is prayed for Desperate Situations and Desperate Cases—especially for an end to war and terrorism. Prayed anytime of year, especially October 19–27th in preparation for the Feast of Saint Jude on October 28th | Novena link below
Greetings, and blessings beloved family. Happy Saturday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time!
On this special Feast day, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are sick with throat diseases, mentally, physically and critically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for our children and children all over the world, for students, for those seeking for the fruit of the womb, for the poor and needy, we pray for difficult marriages, for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. Amen 🙏
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. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary with all the Angels and Saints of God in Heaven, may we be comforted as we continue to pray for the gentle repose of the souls of our loved ones who recently passed away. We pray for the repose of the souls of all those who will die today, asking God to have mercy on their souls and to lead them into Eternal Life. And we continue to pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
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” | October 19, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 19, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | October 19, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 19, 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 Reading: Saturday, October 19, 2024 Reading 1, Ephesians 1:15-23 Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 8:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 Gospel, Luke 12:8-12
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: Starting today, October 19th. Novena to Saint Jude is prayed for Desperate Situations and Desperate Cases—especially for an end to war and terrorism. Prayed anytime of year, but especially October 19–27th in preparation for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude on October 28th. Pray the following each day for nine days in a row. This is the traditional Novena to Saint Jude and can be prayed any time of year | https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-to-st-jude–desperate-situations-and-hopeless-cases-305
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: Desperate Situations and Hopeless Cases ~ DAY 1
Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly – (make your request here) – and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen 🙏
PRAYER: May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen 🙏
May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen 🙏
St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen 🙏
Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity. (say this prayer, followed by the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be)
Dear Apostle and Martyr for Christ, you left us an Epistle in the New Testament. With good reason many invoke you when illness is at a desperate stage. We now recommend to your kindness (name of patient) who is in a critical condition. May the cure of this patient increase his/her faith and love for the Lord of Life, for the glory of our merciful God. Amen 🙏
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINTS JOHN (JEAN) DE BREBEUF, ISAAC JOGUES, PRIESTS AND MARTYRS; AND THEIR COMPANIONS, MARTYRS; SAINT PETER OF ALCANTARA AND BLESSED JERZY (GEORGE) POPIELUSZKO, PRIEST ~ FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 19TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saints John (Jean) de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs; and their Companions, Martyrs; Saint Peter of Alcantara and Blessed Jerzy (George) Popieluszko, Priest. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. We pray for all widows and widowers. 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🙏
SAINTS JOHN (JEAN) DE BREBEUF, ISAAC JOGUES, PRIESTS AND MARTYRS; AND THEIR COMPANIONS, MARTYRS: Today we honor the eight men known as the North American Martyrs. They included six French Jesuit priests and two lay missionaries who worked among the Huron tribe in Canada and upstate New York. These were French Jesuit missionaries who died as martyrs in North America where they preached the Gospel. The North American Martyrs gave their lives to share Christ with the native people of this continent. They were the first missionaries to go to Canada and North America after J. Cartier discovered Canada in 1534. Their mission region extended from Nova Scotia to Maryland. These missionaries had faced extremely difficult and dangerous circumstances in their efforts to share the Good News. They are: Saints Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf, Gabriel Lalemant, Noel Chabanel, Charles Garnier, Anthony Daniel, Rene Goupil and John de Lalande (the first six Jesuits, the last two laymen), preached the gospel to the Iroquois and Huron Indians, tribes in the United States and Canada and after being tortured, they were martyred in the area of what is now Auriesville, New York.
St. Isaac Jogues, in particular, is outstanding. In the course of his labors preaching the Gospel to the Mohawks in Canada he penetrated to the eastern entrance of Lake Superior, one thousand miles inland and became the first European to do so. In 1642, he was taken captive by the Iroquois and imprisoned for thirteen months. During this time, he underwent cruel tortures and ultimately lost the use of his hand. St. Isaac Jogues (1607–1646) was born in France to a middle-class family, and at the age of 17 entered a Jesuit seminary where he displayed a talent for writing and teaching. He was ordained in January of 1636 at the age of 29, and three months later was sent as a missionary priest to the rugged wilderness of New France (now Canada) to work among the Huron and Algonquin Native American tribes. Despite the hardship of life in the wilderness, St. Isaac experienced great spiritual joy in his mission. One day, six years into his work, he was captured by a Mohawk-Iroquois war party. He was enslaved and ritually tortured, in addition to being malnourished and inadequately clothed. His hands were severely mutilated and many of his fingers destroyed, which prevented his ability to say Mass. He continued to preach the faith and was named Ondessonk, “the indomitable one,” by his Mohawk captors. After over a year in captivity he escaped with the help of Dutch settlers. He went back to France where he was honored as a “living martyr.” He obtained special permission from the pope to say Mass with his mutilated hands. Instead of continuing his life in peace, St. Isaac was zealous to return to his mission field. He returned to New France, and by that time a peace treaty was arranged between the warring native tribes allowing him to work among the Mohawks. However, when they suffered a crisis of crop failure and epidemic disease, the Mohawks blamed the Christians for sorcery and attacked the settlers. St. Isaac Jogues died after being tomahawked in the head, and his body was thrown into the Mohawk River. He is the patron of the Americas and Canada. Isaac Jogues earned the name “Apostle of the Mohawks” for his work. New York state’s first Catholic baptismal record was due to his priestly ministry.
Sts. Isaac Jogues; John de Brébeuf, and the other six companions, French Jesuits, were among the missionaries who preached the Gospel to Huron and Iroquois tribes in the United States and Canada. They were martyred by the Iroquois in the years between 1642, 1648 and 1649. Sts. Jogues and John de Lalande, the second lay missionary, were killed in 1646. Two years later in 1648, Father Antoine Daniel followed them in death. The four remaining priests, Fathers Jean de Brebeuf, Noel Chabanel, Charles Garnier, and Gabriel Lalemant were all martyred in 1649. Pope Pius XI beatified them on June 21, 1925, and on June 29, 1930, they were canonized by the same Pontiff. Ten years after the martyrdom of St. Isaac Jogues, St. Kateri Tekakwitha was born in the same village in which he died, Auriesville, New York. The North American Martyrs clearly understood what matters to God. They willingly endured suffering and death to share the message of salvation with those who did not know our Lord, the Son of God. These martyrs are Patron Saints of North America, co-patrons of Canada.
PRAYER: God, You consecrated the spread of the Faith in North America by the preaching and martyrdom of Sts. John and Isaac and their companions. Through their intercession may the Christian Faith continue to grow throughout the world. Amen 🙏
SAINT PETER OF ALCANTARA, PRIEST: St. Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562) was a Spanish Franciscan friar of noble birth. Born in Alcántara, Cáceres (Spain) in 1499. He was friends of many 16th century saints including St Teresa of Avila. He was her confessor and spiritual director and encouraged her in her reformation of the Carmelite Order. St. Peter was a priest, mystic, writer, preacher, and provincial of the Observant Franciscans. He worked towards church reform, starting with himself, practicing severe penances and patience. At times he only ate once in 3 days and sleeping 90 minutes a night. He started the Alcantarine reforms, which followed a stricter order of the rule of St. Francis. He died while praying on his knees on at Arenas de San Pedro, Avila (Spain) on October 18, 1562 at the age of 62-63. He was Beatified on April 18, 1622 by Pope Gregory XV and Canonized on April 28, 1669 by Pope Clement IX. St. Peter of Alcantara is the Patron Saint of night watchmen, Eucharistic adoration, Brazil, Estremadura Spain, Pakil.
SAINT PETER OF ALCANTARA’S QUOTE:“The trouble is everyone talks about reforming others and no one thinks about reforming himself” ~ St. Peter of Alcantara
Saint Peter of Alcantara, Priest ~ Pray for us 🙏
BLESSED JERZY (GEORGE) POPIELUSZKO, PRIEST: Bl. Jerzy Popiełuszko (1947-1984) was born Alfons Popiełuszko on September 14, 1947 at Okopy, near Suchowola, Polish People’s Republic, a village in eastern Poland bordering modern-day Ukraine. He was a Polish Roman Catholic priest who became associated with the opposition Solidarity trade union in Communist Poland. He suffered terribly for his faith while in school and military service. While World War II had ended, the regime of the Communist Party had taken place of the Nazis and ruled Poland at the time. As a young man, Bl. Popiełuszko served his required time in the army before completing seminary studies and becoming a priest for the Archdiocese of Warsaw. He was ordained on May 28, 1972 at the age of 24. As a priest in Warsaw, Popiełuszko served in both regular and student parishes until 1980 when he was assigned as chaplain to the Solidarity trade union in Poland, reminding the striking workers to follow the Gospel and abandon violence. He became known for his steadfast, non-violent resistance to Communism, about which he spoke frequently in his homilies, which were broadcast on Radio Free Europe. As Solidarity grew, so did Fr. Popieluszko’s popularity and message, and the government’s frustration and death attempts on his life. Communist security officers brutally beat and killed him in 1984 for speaking the truth and encouraging the Solidarity movement. He said, “Truth never changes. It cannot be destroyed by any decision or legal act. Telling the truth with courage is a way leading directly to freedom. A man who tells the Truth is a free man despite external slavery, imprisonment or custody.” Bl. Popiełuszko participated in the Solidarity worker’s strike in Warsaw on March 27, 1981, a four-hour national warning strike that essentially ground Poland to a halt, and was the biggest strike in the history of the Soviet Bloc and in the history of Poland. After this strikes, the Communist party declared martial law until July 1983 in the country, severely restricting the daily life of Poles in an effort to clamp down on their growing political opposition. During this time, Bl. Popiełuszko celebrated monthly “Masses for the Homeland” on the last Sunday of the month, advocating for human rights and peaceful resistance of Communism, and attracting thousands of attendees. His Warsaw office had also become an official hub for Solidarity activities. It was also during this time that Communist attacks against the priest escalated. In 1982, Communist authorities attempted to bomb the priest’s home, but he escaped unharmed. In 1983, Bl. Popiełuszko was arrested on false charges by the Communist authorities, but was released shortly thereafter following significant pressure from the Polish people and the Catholic Church.
According to a 1990 article in the Washington Post, Cardinal Józef Glemp, Archbishop of Warsaw at the time, received a secret message from the Polish Pope John Paul II, demanding that Glemp defend Bl. Popiełuszko and advocate for his release. “Defend Father Jerzy – or they’ll start finding weapons in the desk of every second bishop,” the pope wrote. But the Communist officials did not relent. According to court testimony, in September 1984 Communist officials had decided that the priest needed to either be pushed from a train, have a “beautiful traffic accident” or be tortured to death. His crimes: encouraging peaceful resistance to Communism via the radio waves of Radio Free Europe, and working as chaplain to the workers of the Solidarność (Solidarity) movement and trade union, which was known for its opposition to Communism. On October 13, 1984, Bl. Popiełuszko managed to avoid a traffic accident set up to kill him. The back-up plan, capture and torture, was carried out by Communist authorities on October 19, 1984. They lured the priest to them by pretending that their car had broken down on a road along which the priest was travelling. The captors reportedly beat the priest with a rock until he died, and then tied his mangled body to rocks and bags of sand and dumped it in a reservoir along the Vistula River. His body was recovered on Oct. 30, 1984. His death grieved and enraged Catholics and members of the Solidarity movement, who had hoped to accomplish social change without violence. “When the news was announced at his parish church, his congregation was silent for a moment and then began shrieking and weeping with grief,” the BBC wrote of the priest’s death. “The worst has happened. Someone wanted to kill and he killed not only a man, not a Pole, not only a priest. Someone wanted to kill the hope that it is possible to avoid violence in Polish political life,” Solidarity leader Lech Walesa, a friend of Popiełuszko, said at the time. He also urged mourners to remain calm and peaceful during the priest’s funeral, which drew more than a quarter of a million people. Again facing pressure from the Church and the Polish people, Poland’s president Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski was forced to answer for the priest’s death, and arrested Captain Grzegorz Piotrowski, Leszek Pękala, Waldemar Chmielewski and Colonel Adam Pietruszka as responsible for the murder. “Our intelligence sources in Poland do not believe it,” the Washington Post reported in 1990, when the case was being revisited. “Jaruzelski had presided over a far-reaching anti-church campaign. At least two other priests died mysteriously. And Jaruzelski created the climate that allowed the SB (Communist secret service) to persecute and kill Father Jerzy.”
In 2009, Bl. Popiełuszko was posthumously awarded the Order of the White Eagle, the highest civilian or military decoration in Poland. That same year, he was declared a martyr of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI, and on June 6, 2010 he was beatified. A miracle in France through the intercession of Popiełuszko is being investigated in France as the final step in his cause for canonization. Bl. Popiełuszko is one of more than 3,000 priests martyred in Poland under the Nazi and Communist regimes which dominated the country from 1939-1989. The Archbishop Stanisław Budzik of Poland and the Polish bishops’ conference released a statement honoring the memory of Father Popiełuszko and all the 20th century priest martyrs of Poland. “Today, remembering Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, we remember the unswerving priests who preached the Gospel, served God and people in the most terrible times and had the courage not only to suffer for the faith but to give what is most dear to men: their lives.” Bl. Jerzy Popiełuszko died on October 19, 1984 (aged 37) at Włocławek, Polish People’s Republic. He was Beatified on June 6, 2010 at Warsaw, Poland by Archbishop Angelo Amato on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI. A miracle attributed to his intercession and required for his canonization is now under investigation. Blessed Jerzy is the Patron Saint of Solidarity.
“The Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say”
“Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. “Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus calls on His disciples to be courageous in bearing witness to Him, in declaring themselves for Him in the presence of others. He also promises them that in bearing witness to Him they won’t be left to their own resources. Rather, as Jesus says, when the time comes the Holy Spirit will teach them what they must say. The Lord told His disciples that everything which they had to face in the midst of their mission and journey, their work and commitment, all of these would be faced together with God by their side, and they would never be alone, as the Lord would give them His guidance, help and strength, granting and blessing them with His Holy Spirit, the great Advocate and Helper, Who would encourage and inflame our hearts, guiding us to the right path and giving us the strength and wisdom to stand up for our faith, if we continue to put our trust in His love and faithfulness, as we should always do. The Lord also prepared us saying that there would indeed be challenges, trials and obstacles, and we must be ready for them, but we must not be afraid of them. As Christians, each and every one of us must always have that firm faith and conviction to trust the Lord and follow Him at all times. We must not allow ourselves to be dissuaded, tempted and coerced otherwise to think that we are alone in all the challenges and sufferings that we may be facing in life and in our journey and mission as Christians, because that is exactly what the evil one is trying hard to do, to convince us that we are all alone and that God is not there for us, when He has actually always been there for us, guiding us and strengthening us, providing for us generously all throughout every steps and moments of the journey and mission in our lives. We should continue to be faithful to the Lord and to do whatever we can so that we may indeed live our lives in the manner that is truly holy and worthy of God at all times.
In our Gospel reading, Jesus calls upon us to declare ourselves publicly for Him. We are not to be afraid to witness publicly to our faith in the Lord. It can be difficult to witness publicly to our faith today, in our time and place. Declaring ourselves for the Lord today can be difficult because of the climate in which we live which is so often hostile to faith and religion, and our Catholic faith in particular. It is easy to become discouraged when there is so much hostile and negative press around. We can easily be cowed into silence and invisibility. Pressure is coming from various directions to keep faith out of the public domain, to marginalize it to the private realm. Yet, Jesus suggests in our Gospel reading that, whereas our faith is always personal to each one of us, it is not to be merely private. We are to declare our faith in the presence of others. In the Gospels, Jesus calls upon us to let the light of our faith shine and not to hide it under a tub. In recognizing that this public declaration of faith will be difficult for His followers, Jesus speaks a word of reassurance towards the end of the Gospel reading. He tells His disciples that when they encounter hostility because of their public witness to their faith, they will not be left to their own resources. The Holy Spirit will be with them, teaching them what they are to say. Perhaps, we don’t rely enough on the Holy Spirit when we feel pressure to keep our faith to ourselves, to hide it away. The Lord is always offering us the Holy Spirit with His many gifts, as strength in our weakness, as wisdom in our confusion and as courage in our fearfulness. We just need to keep on praying with hopeful expectation, ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart. Give me the gifts to witness to the Lord in my life’. As Paul says, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. We need to keep on praying for a daily Pentecost in our lives so that we have the courage to declare for the Lord who Himself had the courage to declare for God His Father even though it meant having to submit to death on a cross. When we step forward in faith, we create an opening for the Holy Spirit to work within and through us.
In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Ephesus, the Apostle reminded all the faithful people of God of the Lord’s great and amazing power, His might and glorious dominion over the whole world. Through all of these, God has assured us all of the constant care and protection, love and compassion that He has always patiently had for each one of us. God has always been there for us and we have to remember this truth and fact, especially when we may be constantly facing a lot of trials and challenges in life. We must not easily give up our faith and commitment to God because we think that God did not care for us or that God was not there by our side through our challenges, trials and difficulties. Those were the main reasons why many people had abandoned the Lord and left Him, because they did not realise that God has actually always been with them. The reality is such that, although we may not be able to see Him directly in person before us, but He is truly all around us, journeying with us and guiding us throughout the way. And if we do bother spending the time and effort to recognise His Presence around us, we can truly feel Him being there in our midst, walking with us and giving us all His assurance that He is always ever been there for us, being patient with us despite us having constantly been stubborn and disobedient against Him. God is always ever ready to forgive us and to reach out to us whenever we are regretful, repentant over our many sins and wickedness. God has always shown His great patience and kindness from the very beginning, as an ever loving Father Who truly loves His children very much, caring for us in each and every occasion without cease and with ever present patience, and always with the intention to bring us back to Himself.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of the great things that the Lord has assured each and every one of us, the salvation that He has promised to us from time immemorial, and the revelation of everything that He has shown and done for us through His Son, the perfect manifestation of God’s ever enduring and wonderful love for all of us mankind. The promise that Jesus makes to His disciples in the Gospel reading is made to us all. The risen Lord is with us through the Holy Spirit, and will be with us in this way until the end of time. The Spirit of the risen Lord, the Holy Spirit, is always active in our lives on a daily basis, helping us to grow in our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes, as St Paul says in his letter to the Romans, he will be helping us in our weakness to pray. At other times, as Jesus suggests in the Gospel reading, the Spirit will be giving us the courage and the strength we need to witness publicly to our faith. At other times, the Spirit will be working to enlighten us with His wisdom when we have an important decision to make. The Holy Spirit is a wonderful resource that the Lord gives us every day. It is good to remind ourselves that we have this daily gift, and to keep drawing on it, perhaps by praying the simple prayer, ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart’. Through Christ, the Son of God that had taken up our nature and existence, God has opened for us all the path to eternal life and true happiness and fulfilment in Him. He has shown how great His power and love is, far surpassing anything else in this world and transcending all boundaries and limits, reassuring us as always of His ever present and boundless love, which we should therefore respond with the same love and faith. As we reflect on the lives of the great and Holy Saints, especially those we celebrate today, the Holy Martyrs of North American, Saints John (Jean) de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs; and their Companions; Saint Peter of Alcantara and Blessed Jerzy (George) Popieluszko, Priest and as we have discussed through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures, let us all therefore renew our commitment to God, our faith and trust in Him, as well as our desire to love Him wholeheartedly and to continue to do His will at all times and in all circumstances. Let us all remember and keep reminding one another of the great love that God has for each one of us, and strive therefore to show the same love to our fellow brothers and sisters around us, just as much as we all should love God and be ever thankful for His ever patient love. May the Lord, our most loving God, Father and Creator continue to show us all His love, and may He continue to empower each and every one of us with His strength, guidance and love, and through His Holy Spirit so that we may always continue to live worthily of the Lord, full of His love and compassion towards everyone around us, and may He continue to guide and help us all, so that by our inspirational and exemplary way of life, we will draw ever closer to His loving Presence and be worthy to share in the glorious inheritance that He has promised and reassured us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may His faithfulness keep us faithful to the very end. May all of us be good examples and inspirations for one another, now and always, evermore. Amen🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER:
MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY: The Catholic Church designates and dedicate October as the Month of the Holy Rosary. During this month the faithful venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary especially under her title of Our Lady of the Rosary, and make special effort to honor the Holy Rosary with group recitations and rosary processions. The Lady of the Rosary honors a large battle between the Catholic Church and the Muslim caliphate of the Ottoman Empire. This battle, in the Gulf of Patras, near Greece, took place in the 16th century, on October 7, 1571. St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers, is the Saint to whom Our Lady famously appeared and gave the prayers of the Holy Rosary to assist him as a spiritual weapon in combating heresy and leading souls back to the one, true Catholic faith. Our Blessed Mother Mary ~ Pray for us 🙏
THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY: Until about the 15th century hundreds of mysteries were part of the Rosary devotion then the 15 mysteries that we know today were definitively fixed as “the Mysteries of the Rosary.” Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in 2002 added the five Luminous Mysteries.
Through the meditations of the complete Rosary one recalls and has impressed on his mind, the Popes tell us, “the chief mysteries of the Christian religion,” “the mysteries of our Redemption,” “the great mysteries of Jesus and His Mother united in joys, sorrows, and triumphs.” The twenty mysteries are divided into four equal groups, known as “The Joyful,” “The Sorrowful,” “The Glorious,” and “The Luminous Mysteries.”
PRAYER OF ST. LOUISE DE MONTFORT: O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your might, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Subdue every hostile power, the devil, the world and the flesh, in the strength of Your Spirit, for the glory of Your Father, Amen 🙏🏽
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER – FOR A SHARED MISSION: We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen 🙏🏾
During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾
PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏
Let us pray:
My innocent Lord, You were put on trial, judged and falsely condemned. Yet in all of that, You were the Innocent Lamb Who always loved and spoke truth with perfection. When I experience judgment in my life, please fill me with peace of heart and trust in Your promise that the Holy Spirit will be with me, inspiring me and leading me in accord with Your perfect will. Holy Spirit, I abandon myself to You now and always. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏🏽
Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saints John (Jean) de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs; and their Companions, Martyrs; Saint Peter of Alcantara and Blessed Jerzy (George) Popieluszko, Priest ~ 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 🙏🏽
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: Desperate Situations and Hopeless Cases
Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly – (make your request here) – and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen 🙏
PRAYER: May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen 🙏
May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen 🙏
St. Jude, pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen 🙏
Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity. (say this prayer, followed by the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be)
Dear Apostle and Martyr for Christ, you left us an Epistle in the New Testament. With good reason, many invoke you when illness is at a desperate stage. We now recommend to your kindness (name of patient) who is in a critical condition. May the cure of this patient increase his/her faith and love for the Lord of Life, for the glory of our merciful God. Amen 🙏
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: Starting tomorrow, October 19th. Novena to Saint Jude is prayed for Desperate Situations and Desperate Cases—especially for an end to war and terrorism. Prayed anytime of year, especially October 19–27th | Novena link below
Greetings, and blessings beloved family. Happy Friday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time!
On this special Feast day of Saint Luke, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Luke, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for physicians and all healthcare workers, we pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are sick with throat diseases, mentally, physically and critically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for our children and children all over the world, for students, for those seeking for the fruit of the womb, for the poor and needy, we pray for difficult marriages, for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. Amen 🙏
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. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary with all the Angels and Saints of God in Heaven, may we be comforted as we continue to pray for the gentle repose of the souls of our loved ones who recently passed away. We pray for the repose of the souls of all those who will die today, asking God to have mercy on their souls and to lead them into Eternal Life. And we continue to pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
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” | October 18, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 18, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes | October 18, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 18, 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 Reading: Friday, October 18, 2024 Reading 1, Second Timothy 4:9-17 Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18 Gospel, Luke 10:1-9
NOVENA TO SAINT JUDE: Desperate Situations and Hopeless Cases
Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly – (make your request here) – and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen 🙏
PRAYER: May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen 🙏
May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen 🙏
St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen 🙏
Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity. (say this prayer, followed by the Our Father and the Hail Mary)
Dear Apostle and Martyr for Christ, you left us an Epistle in the New Testament. With good reason many invoke you when illness is at a desperate stage. We now recommend to your kindness (name of patient) who is in a critical condition. May the cure of this patient increase his/her faith and love for the Lord of Life, for the glory of our merciful God. Amen 🙏
SAINT OF THE DAY: FEAST OF SAINT LUKE, EVANGELIST – FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 18TH: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Luke on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for physicians and all healthcare workers, we pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are sick with throat diseases, mentally and physically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. We pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for Artists, Painters and Sculptors. 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 LUKE, EVANGELIST: St. Luke the Evangelist (1st c.), whose name means “bringer of light” (Luke) was one of the four evangelists, the inspired author of the third Gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles. He is the only evangelist to have written a second work, the Acts of the Apostles. Between his gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke is responsible for one quarter of the New Testament. St. Luke was born at Antioch, Syria. He was a Gentile by birth and a well educated practicing Greek physician by profession. According to a legend of the 6th century he was also a painter. He was one of the earliest converts from paganism to Christianity, believed to have been one of Jesus’ seventy-two disciples. St. Luke was an early convert to the Faith and became the missionary companion of St. Paul, whom he accompanied on part of his second and third missionary journeys. He spent most of his life evangelizing with St. Paul in Asia Minor, he was also his companion while in prison at Rome on two different occasions until the time of St. Paul’s martyrdom in Rome. St. Luke was among the only companions of St. Paul who did not abandon him during his final imprisonment and death in Rome. After the martyrdom of St. Paul in the year 67, St. Luke is said to have preached elsewhere throughout the Mediterranean, and possibly died as a martyr. However, even tradition is unclear on this point. St. Luke wrote a canonical account of his apostolic journeys with St. Paul (the Book of Acts) as well as a biography on the life of Christ (the Gospel of Luke). The two books of Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles were originally a single work. Fittingly, the evangelist whose travels and erudition could have filled volumes, wrote just enough to proclaim the gospel and apostolic preaching to the world. St. Luke’s Gospel preserved the most extensive biography of Jesus Christ. He tells us the greater part of what we know about our Lord’s childhood. St. Luke’s Gospel is principally concerned with salvation and mercy; it emphasizes the fact that Christ is the salvation of all men, especially of the repentant sinner and of the lowly. The intimate accounts contained in Luke’s gospel of the early years of Christ’s life (the Visitation, the Nativity, the Presentation, etc.) lead many scholars to believe that one of the eyewitnesses he interviewed was the Blessed Virgin Mary herself.
According to tradition, St. Luke was a skilled artist, as well as a man of letters; and with a soul alive to all the most delicate inspirations, he consecrated his pencil to the holiest use, and handed down to us the features of the Mother of God. It was an illustration worthy of the Gospel which relates to the divine Infancy; and it won for the artist a new title to the gratitude of those who never saw Jesus and Mary in the flesh. Hence St. Luke is the patron of Christian art.” According to tradition, St. Luke painted the first icons of Our Lady with the Child Jesus. He was the only evangelist to incorporate the personal testimony of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose role in Christ’s life emerges most clearly in his gospel. Tradition credits him with painting several icons of Christ’s mother which are still venerated today, and one of the most famous sacred portraits ascribed to him – known by the title “Salvation of the Roman People”– survives to this day and hangs in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. In St. Luke’s Gospel are preserved some of our Lord’s most moving parables, like those of the lost sheep and the prodigal son. Dante calls St. Luke the “historian of the meekness of Christ.” According to St. Jerome, St. Luke died in Achaia (Greece) at the age of 84, the Church venerates him as a Martyr. However, it is unknown whether or not he died a martyr’s death. St. Luke is the Patron Saint of physicians, artists, bachelors, bookbinders, brewers, butchers, glass makers, gold workers, goldsmiths, lace workers, notaries, painters, sculptors, stained glass workers, doctors, surgeons and bachelors. His feast day is October 18th.
QUOTES OF SAINT LUKE, EVANGELIST ☆”What is impossible with men is possible with God.” ☆”Remember the past, plan for the future, but live for today, because yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.” ☆”Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you” ☆”To whom much is given, from him much will be required.” ☆”And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
PHYSICIAN’S PRAYER TO SAINT LUKE: Most charming and saintly Physician, you were animated by the heavenly Spirit of love. In faithfully detailing the humanity of Jesus, you also showed his divinity and his genuine compassion for all human beings. Inspire our physicians with your professionalism and with the divine compassion for their patients. Enable them to cure the ills of both body and spirit that afflict so many in our day… Amen.🙏
PRAYER TO SAINT LUKE: O St. Luke, you were chosen to reveal in preaching and writing God’s love for the poor. Moved by the heavenly Spirit of Love, you detailed the life of Jesus, showing His divinity and His genuine compassion for all human beings. Help those who already glory in God’s name to persevere in one heart and one mind, and inspire all people that they may hear the Good News of Salvation… Amen.🙏
PRAYER: God, You chose St. Luke to reveal in preaching and writing Your love for the poor. Grant that those who already glory in Your Name may persevere in one heart and one mind, and that all people may hear Your Good News of salvation. Amen 🙏
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few”
“The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.”‘
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus sends out seventy-two of His disciples as His messengers and representatives. They are to proclaim the same message as Jesus, ‘the kingdom of God is very near to you’; they are to cure the sick as Jesus did. The Lord wanted to be present to others through them. We can all think of ourselves as among that group whom the Lord sends out to make Him present in a tangible way to others, just as Luke made the Lord’s faithful presence present to Paul in a very tangible way. Jesus who sent out seventy-two others ahead of Him in pairs, continues to send out His followers today and, as in the Gospel reading, He doesn’t send us out as lone rangers but in pairs. The ministry to which He calls us is a shared ministry, one in which we give to and receive from each other. The harvest remains as great today as it was in the time of Jesus. It can only be brought in by laborers who work together. The source of our working together is the Holy Spirit. At the first Pentecost, according to the Acts of the Apostles, the Spirit brought together people of different races and languages. There were several Pentecosts or comings of the Holy Spirit in Luke’s story of the early church. In our Gospel reading as Jesus sends out seventy two as His labourers, He keeps sending us out as labourers in God’s harvest, empowering us with the Holy Spirit as He sends us out. The work Jesus did in Galilee, Samaria, Judea, He continues to do in and through all of us who are the Spirit filled community of His disciples. This is our calling and our privilege. We are all called to be labourers in the Lord’s harvest and part of our labour is to make tangible the Lord’s faithful presence to all who are struggling in any way. The Lord’s harvest remains rich and we are all needed as His laborers. We need to keep calling for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit upon us, so that we can work together as the Lord’s laborers in God’s harvest.
In our first reading today from Second Timothy, St. Paul, at a time of great personal vulnerability laments the fact that all his companions have deserted him, with the exception of Luke. ‘Only Luke is with me’, St. Paul says. St. Luke is portrayed in today’s reading as the faithful companion to St. Paul. Towards the end of the reading St. Paul repeats that ‘everyone of them deserted me’, but then goes on to declare that ‘the Lord stood by me and gave me power’. ‘Only Luke is with me’; ‘the Lord stood by me’. St. Paul seems to be saying that the Lord stood by him in the person of St. Luke, that St. Luke revealed the Lord’s faithfulness to him. That is the calling we have all received from the time of our baptism, to reveal something of the Lord’s faithfulness to each other. The Lord stands by us in and through those who are faithful to us when we feel vulnerable and weak.
According to our first reading today, St. Paul the Apostle spoke to St. Timothy about the matter of his experiences with the other disciples around him, including with St. Luke the Evangelist, who was one of St. Paul’s companions during his numerous missionary journeys. St. Paul spoke of how some of them including St. Luke had been good companions and were faithful to God and to their mission, while there were also others who were not helpful or even detrimental in how they had probably hindered the works of St. Paul and his other fellow missionaries. Through this conversation and exchanges, coupled with historical evidence and Church tradition, it shows how the early Church grew through the dedicated efforts of the early missionaries, including the Apostles and their companions like St. Luke the Evangelist. St. Luke the Evangelist himself was a known physician who was a follower of St. Paul the Apostle, and journeyed with the latter in some of his missionary journeys as mentioned earlier. He was of Greek origin from the city and region of Antioch in Syria, and became a disciple of the Lord. Some Church tradition and accounts numbered St. Luke among the seventy-two disciples that was mentioned in our Gospel passage today. Regardless of the fact, whether St. Luke followed the Lord from during the time of His ministry or afterwards, it was clear that he was closely intertwined with the efforts of the early Church missionaries, the Apostles and the other disciples in proclaiming the Good News of God to many people and communities throughout the region.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures on this special feast of Saint Luke, the Evangelist, we are reminded that God did not call the great and the mighty to do His will and works. On the contrary, He called and empowered the ordinary ones to become the instruments of His will in this world. God gave the ordinary people the strength and the chance to become His great servants. The Church is ultimately not a shrine for the elites and the self-righteous, but rather the hospital for sinners, who have been called to leave behind their old lives of sin and wickedness. All the Saints and great servants of God like St. Luke, St. Paul and the others have all been called and transformed from their ordinary existence to be extraordinary servants of God. Before we think that we are inadequate or unworthy of such an accomplishment, let us all therefore strive to follow in the footsteps of the Holy Saints and Martyrs particularly that of St. Luke the Evangelist, who we celebrate today, the great servant of God who has dedicated his life to glorify the Lord and to proclaim Him through his writings and works, and through his efforts in evangelisation. Let us all therefore recognise our own mission and calling in life to be truly missionary and evangelising in our every words, actions and deeds, in our every interactions with one another. All of us as Christians should always be full of courage and zeal to proclaim the Lord and His Good News at all times and in all the opportunities provided for us by the Lord. We should not be ignorant of all the things which we can do by making good use of everything that we have been blessed with by the Lord, in all the blessings and graces that He has provided to us, and by utilising all the opportunities that He has given us that we may glorify Him by each and every moments of our lives. May our lives be truly holy and worthy of God, so that God’s light, truth, love and hope may be shown to others just as St. Luke and the many other holy men and women of God have been our inspiration and role model. Let us do whatever we can, at every opportunities presented to us, to be the role models for one another and to help each other in our respective journeys of faith in life. May the Lord, our loving and ever compassionate God, continue to guide us all in our journey of faith, and may He help us to walk ever more faithfully in His Presence, and may He continue to empower us all in our efforts and endeavours of faith. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to be channels of His faithful love to others. May the Lord bless us always in all things, now and forevermore. Amen🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER:
MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY: The Catholic Church designates and dedicate October as the Month of the Holy Rosary. During this month the faithful venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary especially under her title of Our Lady of the Rosary, and make special effort to honor the Holy Rosary with group recitations and rosary processions. The Lady of the Rosary honors a large battle between the Catholic Church and the Muslim caliphate of the Ottoman Empire. This battle, in the Gulf of Patras, near Greece, took place in the 16th century, on October 7, 1571. St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers, is the Saint to whom Our Lady famously appeared and gave the prayers of the Holy Rosary to assist him as a spiritual weapon in combating heresy and leading souls back to the one, true Catholic faith. Our Blessed Mother Mary ~ Pray for us 🙏
THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY: Until about the 15th century hundreds of mysteries were part of the Rosary devotion then the 15 mysteries that we know today were definitively fixed as “the Mysteries of the Rosary.” Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in 2002 added the five Luminous Mysteries.
Through the meditations of the complete Rosary one recalls and has impressed on his mind, the Popes tell us, “the chief mysteries of the Christian religion,” “the mysteries of our Redemption,” “the great mysteries of Jesus and His Mother united in joys, sorrows, and triumphs.” The twenty mysteries are divided into four equal groups, known as “The Joyful,” “The Sorrowful,” “The Glorious,” and “The Luminous Mysteries.”
PRAYER OF ST. LOUISE DE MONTFORT: O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your might, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Subdue every hostile power, the devil, the world and the flesh, in the strength of Your Spirit, for the glory of Your Father, Amen 🙏🏽
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER – FOR A SHARED MISSION: We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen 🙏🏾
During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾
PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏
Let us pray:
My saving Lord, You sent Your disciples on a mission to share Your saving message with all. Today I especially thank You for the life and ministry of Saint Luke. Please use me, dear Lord, to imitate his wonderful example and to share Your glorious life with others. Please lead me and inspire me to especially reach out to those whom You have put into 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, have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saint Luke, Evangelist ~ 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 and month of October 🙏🏽
Greetings, and blessings beloved family. Happy Thursday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time!
On this special Feast day, 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. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary with all the Angels and Saints of God in Heaven, may we be comforted as we continue to pray for the gentle repose of the souls of our loved ones who recently passed away. We pray for the repose of the souls of all those who will die today, asking God to have mercy on their souls and to lead them into Eternal Life. And we continue to pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
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🙏
On this feast day, we continue to pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally, physically and critically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for our children and children all over the world, for students, for those seeking for the fruit of the womb, for the poor and needy, we pray for difficult marriages, for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. 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” | October 17, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 17, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes | October 17, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 17, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR – FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 17TH: Today, we join the whole world as we continue to pray for peace in Israel, for an end to the current war and terrorist attacks. We pray for the safety and well-being of the people of Israel, we especially pray for the repose of the souls of all those who have lost their lives and we 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. 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
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🙏
On this day, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill, throat diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. We pray for all widows and widowers. 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 IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR: St. Ignatius (d. c. 98-117) also known as Ignatius Theophorus is one of the great bishops of the early Church and a disciple of St. John the Apostle. He was the successor of St. Peter as Bishop of Antioch. St. Ignatius of Antioch was born in Syria in the middle of the first century A.D. Tradition holds that he was the infant whom Jesus took in His arms, saying, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me” as recounted in Mark’s Gospel. St. Ignatius was a Syrian pagan convert to Christianity and succeeded St. Peter the Apostle as the third bishop of Antioch, being ordained by St. Peter himself. St. John Chrysostom says that St. Peter appointed St. Ignatius as Bishop of Antioch, which See he governed for forty years. St. Ignatius is said to have been personally instructed – along with another future martyr, Saint Polycarp – by the Apostle Saint John. When St. Ignatius became the Bishop of Antioch around the year 70, he assumed leadership of a local church that was, according to tradition, first led by Saint Peter before his move to Rome. St. Ignatius was an important Church Father of the Apostolic age, an ideal pastor, and a fearless soldier of Christ. He was tireless in supporting his flock against dangerous heresies and the terrors of the persecutions of the Roman Emperors. Although St. Peter transmitted his Papal primacy to the bishops of Rome rather than Antioch, the city played an important role in the life of the early Church. Located in present-day Turkey, it was a chief city of the Roman Empire, and was also the location where the believers in Jesus’ teachings and his resurrection were first called “Christians.”
St. Ignatius led the Christians of Antioch during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian, the first of the emperors to proclaim his divinity by adopting the title “Lord and God.” Subjects who would not give worship to the emperor under this title could be punished with death. As the leader of a major Catholic diocese during this period, St. Ignatius showed courage and worked to inspire it in others. After Domitian’s murder in the year 96, his successor Nerva reigned only briefly, and was soon followed by the Emperor Trajan. Under Trajan rule, Christians were once again liable to death for denying the pagan state religion and refusing to participate in its rites. St. Ignatius longed to shed his blood for Christ, but the opportunity was not granted him during the persecution under Domitian. While the short reign of Nerva lasted the Church was at peace, but under Trajan persecution broke out anew. It was during Trajan’s reign that St. Ignatius was convicted for his Christian testimony and sent from Syria to Rome to be put to death. In the year 107, Emperor Trajan visited Antioch and forced the Christians there to choose between death and apostasy. St. Ignatius would not deny Christ and he was seized and brought before the Emperor. Having confessed Christ, he was condemned to be taken in chains to Rome, there to be exposed to the wild beasts and put to death in Rome.
Escorted by a team of military guards, St. Ignatius nonetheless managed to compose seven letters and he is well known for these seven magnificent letters he wrote on the long journey from Antioch to Rome, which we still have today, concerning the Person of Christ, his love for Christ, his desire for martyrdom and on the constitution of the Church and Christian life. Six of the seven letters were to various local churches throughout the empire (including the Church of Rome), and one to his fellow bishop Polycarp who would give his own life for Christ several decades later. Five of the seven letters are to churches in Asia Minor; they urge the Christians there to remain faithful to God and to obey their superiors. He warns them against heretical doctrines, providing them with the solid truths of the Christian faith. The sixth letter was to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who was later martyred for the faith. The final letter begs the Christians in Rome not to try to stop his martyrdom. “The only thing I ask of you is to allow me to offer the libation of my blood to God. I am the wheat of the Lord; may I be ground by the teeth of the beasts to become the immaculate bread of Christ.” St. Ignatius’ letters passionately stressed the importance of Church unity, the dangers of heresy, and the surpassing importance of the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality.” These writings contain the first surviving written description of the Church as “Catholic,” from the Greek word indicating both universality and fullness. One of the most striking features of St. Ignatius’ letters, is his enthusiastic embrace of martyrdom as a means to union with God and eternal life. “All the pleasures of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, shall profit me nothing,” he wrote to the Church of Rome. “It is better for me to die on behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth.” “Now I begin to be a disciple,” the bishop declared. “Let fire and the cross; let the crowds of wild beasts; let tearings, breakings, and dislocations of bones; let cutting off of members; let shatterings of the whole body; and let all the dreadful torments of the devil come upon me: only let me attain to Jesus Christ.”
During this last journey he was welcomed by the faithful of Smyrna, Troas, and other places along the way. The Saint arrived in Rome just as the public spectacles in the amphitheater were drawing to a close. The faithful of the city came out to meet him. St. Ignatius of Antioch bore witness to Christ publicly for the last time in Rome’s Flavian Amphitheater, where he was at once hurried to the amphitheater and bravely met the lions in the Circus Maximus where two fierce lions immediately devoured him. “I am the wheat of the Lord,” he had declared, before facing them. “I must be ground by the teeth of these beasts to be made the pure bread of Christ.” St. Ignatius ended his saintly life by a glorious death, exclaiming, “May I become agreeable bread to the Lord.” His remains were carried to Antioch, where they were interred. In the reign of Theodosius (379-395) they were transferred to a church within the city. At present they are venerated in Rome. St. Ignatius memory was honored, and his bones venerated, soon after his death around the year 107. St. Ignatius of Antioch is the first to have used the term “Catholic” Church, meaning “Universal.” St. Ignatius is the Patron Saint of the Church in eastern Mediterranean; Church in North Africa; throat diseases. His feast day is October 17th.
SAINT IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH QUOTES AND SAYINGS: ☆“Pray as if God will take care of all; act as if all is up to you.” ☆”Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips, and the world in your heart.” ☆“It is impossible for a man to be freed from the habit of sin before he hates it, just as it is impossible to receive forgiveness before confessing his trespasses…” ☆“Be careful, therefore, to take part only in the one Eucharist; for there is only one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ and one cup to unite us with His Blood.” ☆”I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire.” ☆”It is not that I want merely to be called a Christian, but to actually be one. Yes, if I prove to be one, then I can have the name…Come fire, cross, battling with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of limbs, crushing of my whole body, cruel tortures of the Devil–Only let me get to Jesus Christ!”
PRAYER: Saint Ignatius of Antioch, your courageous acceptance of your impending martyrdom was an inspiration to your fellow Christians then and remains an inspiration today. Give all who seek your intercession just a small portion of your steely courage in the face of real danger…. Amen.
Almighty and ever-living God, You adorn the body of Your holy Church with the witness of Your Martyrs. Grant that the sufferings of St. Ignatius on this day that brought unending glory to him may bring us perpetual protection. Amen 🙏 SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus criticizes the lawyers, the experts in the Jewish Law, the Law of God, theologians as we might call them today, for taking away the key of knowledge. They have failed to come to know God themselves, as Jesus reveals Him, and have prevented others from coming to know God. Their calling was to be teachers of the ways of God, but they have not been true to that calling. Jesus Himself was the key to the knowledge of God, because He reveals God more fully than any other human being could. In rejecting Jesus, the lawyers were taking away the key of knowledge, failing to recognize God at work in Jesus for themselves and not allowing others to discover God in Jesus either. As theologians they should have recognized God acting in Jesus. However, not only have they failed to recognize God in Jesus; they have prevented others from doing so. Their religious knowledge was an obstacle to God’s work in their own lives and in the lives of others. Whatever knowledge we have, in whatever area, including the area of religion, it has to serve our relationship with God and other people’s relationship with God. Our search for knowledge is, ultimately, a search for God and needs to be at the service of that greater search. God has given us the key to knowing Him, by giving us Jesus. Jesus is the key to the knowledge of God, and we are all learners. Indeed, we will always be learners when it comes to God. The mistake is to think of ourselves as learned and clever when it comes to God. On the contrary we are more like infants, always having much to learn. Only if we recognize that when we come to know God more fully. That is why Jesus prayed a little earlier in Luke’s Gospel, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the learned and the clever and have revealed them to infants’.
In our first reading today, from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Ephesus is the greeting from the Apostle to the faithful in Ephesus, reminding them all of the salvation in Jesus Christ, their Lord and Saviour, which he and the other Apostles and missionaries had been proclaiming about, reminding them that the salvation in the Lord came through Christ and whatever He had revealed to them through His disciples and Church, and not through other means such as through the obedience of the Law and commandments of God, as some of the converts from the Jewish background, especially those from the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law group claimed and wanted to enforce the Jewish customs and ways on the rest of the Church and the Christian faithful. As they were making such coercions and efforts, they were also claiming that unless the people of God obeyed the Law of Moses in how they were interpreted by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, then they could not be saved or have a share in God’s grace. This claim and false interpretations of the Law and their attempts to impose these on the Church and the faithful therefore were met with opposition and rebuke from St. Paul, just as the Lord Himself has also told the people that the path towards the Lord and eternal life is through Himself, and not through the obedience to the man-made laws, rules, regulations, customs and boundaries which men tried to set in their midst, in order to make some among themselves more righteous, worthy and better than others.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of the need for each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people to continue to obey wholeheartedly the teachings of the Lord, our loving God and Saviour, Who has revealed His love to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, manifesting His love to us in the fullest and in manner that is tangible and approachable by us, so that we may come to benefit from His love and salvation, and that we may be assured of His ever patient guidance and help throughout our respective journeys in life. Consequently, we should also strive to keep away from ourselves all that will lead us to sin. Let us heed and remember the life and examples of the Saints and Holy men and women, especially St. Ignatius of Antioch, who we celebrate today. Let us all hence do our best so that we may truly embody our Christian faith at all times, and be truly exemplary and faithful in all things. Let us all continue to do our best, to work and to do our part as servants and followers of the Lord, in all things, so that we may be the shining and bright beacons of God’s light and Good News, to bring forth His hope and light to all the nations. As we have heard from the life and examples of St. Ignatius of Antioch, and as we have discerned the words of the Sacred Scriptures, let us all therefore do our best so that we may follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before us and been exemplary in their lives and faith in God. Let us all cast away our pride and ego, greed and other forms of desires that can lead us to the path towards our downfall. Let us all strive to do God’s will ever more faithfully in each and every moments of our lives from now on, and let us continue to inspire one another by our own exemplary lives that we may draw everyone ever closer towards the Lord. May God be with us always, and may He empower each and every one of us to be truly worthy and faithful, despite the many trials and challenges facing us throughout our lives and journey. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the Lord bless us and remain with us always, now and forevermore. Amen 🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER:
MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY: The Catholic Church designates and dedicate October as the Month of the Holy Rosary. During this month the faithful venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary especially under her title of Our Lady of the Rosary, and make special effort to honor the Holy Rosary with group recitations and rosary processions. The Lady of the Rosary honors a large battle between the Catholic Church and the Muslim caliphate of the Ottoman Empire. This battle, in the Gulf of Patras, near Greece, took place in the 16th century, on October 7, 1571. St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers, is the Saint to whom Our Lady famously appeared and gave the prayers of the Holy Rosary to assist him as a spiritual weapon in combating heresy and leading souls back to the one, true Catholic faith. Our Blessed Mother Mary ~ Pray for us 🙏
THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY: Until about the 15th century hundreds of mysteries were part of the Rosary devotion then the 15 mysteries that we know today were definitively fixed as “the Mysteries of the Rosary.” Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in 2002 added the five Luminous Mysteries.
Through the meditations of the complete Rosary one recalls and has impressed on his mind, the Popes tell us, “the chief mysteries of the Christian religion,” “the mysteries of our Redemption,” “the great mysteries of Jesus and His Mother united in joys, sorrows, and triumphs.” The twenty mysteries are divided into four equal groups, known as “The Joyful,” “The Sorrowful,” “The Glorious,” and “The Luminous Mysteries.”
PRAYER OF ST. LOUISE DE MONTFORT: O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your might, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Subdue every hostile power, the devil, the world and the flesh, in the strength of Your Spirit, for the glory of Your Father, Amen 🙏🏽
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER – FOR A SHARED MISSION: We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen 🙏🏾
During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾
PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏
Let us pray:
My patient and kind Lord, You were falsely accused and condemned by many of the religious leaders of Your time because You spoke the pure truth with love, clarity and boldness. When I act with hostility and anger toward another, help me to turn from these sins so that I will never condemn, never judge and never manipulate Your divine Law for my own purposes. Fill me with Your peace and charity alone, dear Lord. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏🏽
Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop 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 and month of October 🙏🏽
Greetings, and blessings beloved family. Happy Wednesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time!
On this special Feast day, 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. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary with all the Angels and Saints of God in Heaven, may we be comforted as we continue to pray for the gentle repose of the souls of our loved ones who recently passed away. We pray for the repose of the souls of all those who will die today, asking God to have mercy on their souls and to lead them into Eternal Life. And we continue to pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
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🙏
On this feast day, we continue to pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally, physically and critically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for our children and children all over the world, for students, for those seeking for the fruit of the womb, for the poor and needy, we pray for difficult marriages, for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. 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” | October 16, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 16, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes | October 16, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 16, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT HEDWIG, RELIGIOUS; SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE, VIRGIN; SAINT GERARD MAJELLA, REDEMPTORIST; SAINT MARGUERITE D’YOUVILLE, SGM, RELIGIOUS AND SAINT GALL, ABBOT – FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 16TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Hedwig, Religious; Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin; Saint Gerard Majella, Redemptorist, Marguerite d’Youville, SGM, Religious and Saint Gall, Abbot. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for all Mothers, especially expectant mothers, unborn children and all those seeking for the fruit of the womb. We pray for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill, 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. We pray for all widows and widowers. 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 HEDWIG, RELIGIOUS: St. Hedwig was born in 1174 in Bavaria, the daughter of the Duke of Croatia. She was the maternal aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. She married Duke Henry of Silesia and raised seven children, with the boys being quite a handful. She outlived all but one of her children, Gertrude. Hedwig persuaded her husband to use her dowry to found a Cisterian monastery for nuns at Trebnitz. Their daughter Gertrude later became abbess of the monastery. Hedwig led a life of piety and solicitude for the sick and poor, including their religious education. She lived a life of poverty and humility, despite her prominent position. Every day, even in winter, she would walk barefooted, so her feet were in bad shape. A story tells us her husband sent her a pair of shoes, insisting that she not be without them — so she kept them under her arm. After the death of her husband Hedwig completely renounced the world and entered the monastery of Trebnitz which she had founded. She died on October 15, 1243 and is venerated as patroness of Poland. She was canonized by Clement IV, 26 March, 1267. She’s the Patron Saint of Bavaria; brides; duchesses; death of children; marital problems; Silesia; victims of jealousy; widows.
PRAYER: Almighty God, may the venerable intercession of St. Hedwig obtain heavenly aid for us, for her life constitutes a wonderful example of humility for all. Amen 🙏
SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE, VIRGIN: (22 July 1647 – 17 October 1690), was a French Roman Catholic Visitation nun and mystic, who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form. After a girlhood marked by painful illness and even more painful family discord, Margaret Mary Alacoque entered the Visitation convent of Paray-le-Monial, France, at the age of 22. She was ignorant, sickly, and clumsy, but she had great charity and humility. Our Lord chose her to spread devotion to his Sacred Heart, at a time when rebellion without (Protestantism) and heresy within (Jansenism) were doing their best to separate Catholics from their faith and their God. She died on October 17, 1690. She was Beatified on September 18, 1864, Rome by Pope Pius IX and Canonized on May 13, 1920, Vatican City, by Pope Benedict XV. She’s the Patron Saint of those suffering with polio, devotees of the Sacred Heart, loss of parents
PRAYER: Lord, pour out upon us spirit with which You enriched St. Margaret Mary. Help us to know the love of Christ, which is too great for human knowledge, and to be filled with the fullness of god. Amen 🙏
SAINT GERARD MAJELLA, REDEMPTORIST: (April 9, 1726 – October 16, 1755), was an Italian lay brother of the Congregation of the Redeemer, better known as the Redemptorists. Born very frail and unhealthy, Gerard was immediately baptized as his parents feared the worst for their newly born child. But from childhood, the Lord granted this boy many favors even if they were followed by many hardships too. He became a full-time tailor at the age of only twelve as his father passed away and he was responsible for caring for his mother and siblings. Gerard didn’t like his job and longed to become a priest. But twice he was denied the religious cloak due to his poor health. Gerard was such a holy and gentle soul that eventually his perseverance paid off and became a brother monk. He spent his life evangelizing the faith, converting many. He is known for his countless miracles and was called the “Wonder Worker” and his wonderful and well authenticated life was a series of supernatural phenomena — bilocations, reading of consciences, prophecies, multiplying of food, etc. He was canonized in 1904. He’s the Patron Saint of childbirth; children; expectant mothers; falsely accused people; good confessions; lay brothers; motherhood; mothers; pregnant women; pro-life movement; unborn children.
PRAYER: God, by Your grace St. Gerard persevered in imitating Christ in His poverty and humility. Through his intercession, grant that we may faithfully follow our vocation and reach the perfection that You held out us in Your Son. Amen🙏
SAINT MARGUERITE D’YOUVILLE, SGM RELIGIOUS Marguerite d’Youville was a French Canadian widow who was born on October 15, 1701, Varennes, Canada and died on December 23, 1771, Montreal, Canada. She founded the Order of Sisters of Charity of Montreal, commonly known as the Grey Nuns of Montreal. She and her companions welcome and cared for the poor, the elderly, the sick, and the mentally handicapped, without distinction of sex, race, or ethnicity. They give shelter to both French and English soldiers who were wounded during the Seven Years’ War. Marie-Marguerite died on December 23, 1771, leaving behind the memory of an extraordinary woman guided by a profound spirituality and a great sensitivity to human suffering. In 1959 Pope John XXIII declared Marguerite d’Youville Blessed and conferred on her the title of Mother of Universal Charity, and on December 9, 1990, Vatican Basilica, she was canonized by Pope John Paul II. She’s the first native-born Canadian to be declared a saint. She’s Patron Saint of widows, difficult marriages, death of young children.
Saint Marguerite d’Youville, Religious ~ Pray for us 🙏 SAINT GALL, ABBOT: (c. 550 – c. 645 CE), also known as Saint Gallus, was an Irish monk who lived in what is present-day Switzerland during the 6th century CE and was one of twelve companions of Saint Columbanus’ Christian mission to the European continent. Associated with various legends, myths, and miracles, Gall is chiefly remembered for this role in the spread of Christianity in Switzerland and as the founder of a hermitage that would eventually become the Abbey Cathedral of St. Gallen. St. Gall is thus subsequently claimed additionally as the founder of the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland and remains the city’s patron saint. Saint Deicolus was the elder brother of St. Gall. He died at the age of ninety-five around 646–650 in Arbon. He’s the Patron Saint of birds, geese, poultry, Switzerland, St. Gallen.
“Woe to you Pharisees! Woe also to you scholars of the law!”
“The Lord said: “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.” Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is the guest at the table of one of the Pharisees. In the course of the meal he is addressed by a lawyer, someone who would have been considered an expert in the Jewish Law and in the interpretation of that Law. As Jesus had earlier criticized the Pharisees, He now criticizes the lawyers for loading unendurable burdens onto people; having done so, they make no effort to help people carry those burdens. Jesus is clearly contrasting the teaching of the lawyers with His own teaching. Jesus saw Himself in a very different light. On one occasion, according to Matthew’s Gospel, He declared, ‘Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest’. Far from burdening people, Jesus worked to release them from unnecessary burdens. He has come to proclaim good news, not to burden people and then leave them to their own devises. He spoke of Himself as the bridegroom and His followers as the wedding guests; His ministry is a time of celebration, a time to rejoice that the lost were being found. He came to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour, when good news would be preached to the poor and release to captives. That is not to say that His message was not challenging and demanding; it was. However, His message was essentially good news for people, not bad news. If our faith becomes a burden, and nothing else, we have somehow managed to lose its essence. The Lord’s call can be demanding, but it is demanding in the way that love can be demanding. The Lord’s path can be difficult, because of what it asks of us, but along that path we are promised a joy and a peace which the world cannot give. The path Jesus called people to take was the way of life. Jesus came so that people might have life, and have it to the full. The Gospel is not a burden; it is a joy because it is good news, the good news of God’s enduring love for us in Christ. The Gospel is a light in the darkness, a source of hope when all seems hopeless, a giver of strength when weakness seems to overpower us. If we respond to the Gospel and allow it to shape our lives, we will become more alive, more complete as human beings, more loving. If we really live the Gospel, then, like Jesus, we will bring rest and peace to those who find themselves burdened for whatever reason.
In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Galatia, the Apostle continue to speak to the people about the matter of true obedience to the Law of God, referring to the Law in this instance as a reference to the way how the Law of God that was revealed through Moses had been interpreted and practiced by the Jewish authorities, such as by the Pharisees and the other members of the Jewish High Council, and which some of them were also influential among the members of the Jewish diaspora in Galatia. At that time, St. Paul, who had embarked on several missionary journeys and travels all throughout the Mediterranean region, proclaiming the Good News of God in all of those occasions, including the region and people of Galatia. There in Galatia, there were quite a few Jewish people in diaspora away from their homeland who embraced the Lord as their Saviour and Master together with the non-Jewish people like the Greeks, Romans and other local populations who also believed in the Lord and chose to become Christians. And there were those among the Jewish converts who claimed and even forced the non-Jewish converts to follow the ways and customs of the Jews, claiming that they are necessary for salvation. This also happened in the many other places that St. Paul had ministered in, and it was one of the main issues that St. Paul consistently wanted to settle by reminding all the faithful that the obedience and the ways of the old Jewish customs and laws are no longer binding on the people of God, because they have received the fullness of truth through Christ, and they should instead obey what the Lord has taught them. He reminded them all of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, of love and all the other good fruits which are distinct from the ones offered by the world, from all the corruptions of evil and sin, and highlighting the difference between following the Law that is mostly human made and which had been flawed and wrongly applied by the religious leaders of the time with the true obedience to God’s Law which all the faithful ought to have, not in the superficial and external faith, piety and obedience to the rules and rituals which those religious leaders had practiced and enforced to the people of God, but rather, a true commitment and love for the Lord, which are often lacking, is what God had wanted. As mentioned in the Scriptures, that what the Lord wanted is love and not sacrifice. Without true love and commitment to God, no amount of piety and sacrifice can be meaningful.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of the words of the Lord being spoken through the promises of God’s servants and His own Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom, salvation has come into this world, and God’s promises have all come true, and been perfectly fulfilled just as He has promised to us. God has never abandoned us, and He has always provided for us in His own mysterious ways. He showed us all the path to Himself, and opened for us the gates of Heaven, ever graciously offering to us the richness of His mercy, compassion and love, that He has always given us all these while. We continue to be reminded as we have been in previous days of the need for us to truly follow the Lord wholeheartedly and faithfully, distancing ourselves from all the worldliness and all the temptations and wickedness which had been present all around us in this world. We have to embrace the Lord’s path faithfully, doing whatever we can so that we truly embody our faith in Him fully and not just merely practicing all the external applications and practices but inside, there is no space for the Lord in our hearts and minds, which can indeed happen to us, as how it had happened to many among our predecessors as mentioned in our Scripture readings today. Let us all reflect on the lives and great examples of the Saints and Holy men and women, especially those who we celebrate today, both St. Hedwig of Silesia and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. Having discern the words and message from the Sacred Scriptures earlier on, let us all therefore continue to do our best to live our lives worthily of the Lord at all times, and to show true love and devotion to Him, as St. Hedwig of Silesia and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the innumerable other saints had done in their lives. Let us all therefore renew our faith in the Lord, and strive so that we will always be ever more virtuous, worthy and good in all of our works, actions and way of life, in our every interactions with one another. We should not be paying mere lip service and obedience to the Law of God like those Pharisees and teachers of the Law, but truly embody the Law and love of God in every parts and moments of our lives, from now on and always, evermore. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless us all and may He guide us all into everlasting life, and give us the inheritance that He has promised us His faithful ones. May the Lord continue to guide us in our journey of faith throughout our lives, and may He bless us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen 🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER:
MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY: The Catholic Church designates and dedicate October as the Month of the Holy Rosary. During this month the faithful venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary especially under her title of Our Lady of the Rosary, and make special effort to honor the Holy Rosary with group recitations and rosary processions. The Lady of the Rosary honors a large battle between the Catholic Church and the Muslim caliphate of the Ottoman Empire. This battle, in the Gulf of Patras, near Greece, took place in the 16th century, on October 7, 1571. St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers, is the Saint to whom Our Lady famously appeared and gave the prayers of the Holy Rosary to assist him as a spiritual weapon in combating heresy and leading souls back to the one, true Catholic faith. Our Blessed Mother Mary ~ Pray for us 🙏
THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY: Until about the 15th century hundreds of mysteries were part of the Rosary devotion then the 15 mysteries that we know today were definitively fixed as “the Mysteries of the Rosary.” Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in 2002 added the five Luminous Mysteries.
Through the meditations of the complete Rosary one recalls and has impressed on his mind, the Popes tell us, “the chief mysteries of the Christian religion,” “the mysteries of our Redemption,” “the great mysteries of Jesus and His Mother united in joys, sorrows, and triumphs.” The twenty mysteries are divided into four equal groups, known as “The Joyful,” “The Sorrowful,” “The Glorious,” and “The Luminous Mysteries.”
PRAYER OF ST. LOUISE DE MONTFORT: O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your might, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Subdue every hostile power, the devil, the world and the flesh, in the strength of Your Spirit, for the glory of Your Father, Amen 🙏🏽
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER – FOR A SHARED MISSION: We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen 🙏🏾
During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾
PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏
Let us pray:
My challenging Lord, You are constantly speaking to me in various ways. Sometimes You are gentle, and at other times You lovingly rebuke me. Please help me to see my sin. As I do, I pray that I will not become defensive or dismissive, rationalizing my erroneous actions. May I learn to rejoice in all that You say to me, especially when You speak Your rebukes of love. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏🏽
Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saint Hedwig; Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque; Saint Gerard Majella; Marguerite d’Youville and Saint Gall…. 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 and month of October 🙏🏽
Greetings, and blessings beloved family. Happy Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time!
On this special Feast day, 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. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary with all the Angels and Saints of God in Heaven, may we be comforted as we continue to pray for the gentle repose of the souls of our loved ones who recently passed away. We pray for the repose of the souls of all those who will die today, asking God to have mercy on their souls and to lead them into Eternal Life. And we continue to pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
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🙏
On this feast day, we continue to pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally, physically and critically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for our children and children all over the world, for students, for those seeking for the fruit of the womb, for the poor and needy, we pray for difficult marriages, for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. 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” | October 15, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 15, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes | October 15, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 15, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
SAINT OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT TERESA OF JESUS (SAINT TERESA OF AVILA), VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH ~ FEAST DAY- OCTOBER 15TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus (Saint Teresa of Avila), Virgin and Doctor of the Church. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Teresa of Jesus on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill, headaches, heart diseases, 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. We pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for Cemetery Workers. 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 TERESA OF JESUS (SAINT TERESA OF AVILA), VIRGIN AND DOCTOR: St. Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, original name Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada, was born on March 28, 1515, Ávila, Spain to a large, devout, and prominent Catholic family. St. Teresa was one of twelve children in a faith-filled home. A Spanish nun, one of the great mystics and religious women of the Roman Catholic Church, and author of spiritual classics. At age seven she set out for Africa to die for Christ, she read the lives of the saints and was so inspired by the martyrs that she and her brother Rodrigo began walking south toward the Moors hoping to gain instant access to heaven by being martyred by the Moors; in this way, she said she could come to see God, but they were intercepted on their way by their uncle and returned home. After her uncle found them and returned them home, they built hermitages for themselves in the family garden. When Teresa was 14, her mother died, she was plunged into sorrow, the death causing her a profound grief that prompted her to embrace a deeper devotion to the Virgin Mary as her spiritual mother. Along with this good resolution, however, she also developed immoderate interests in reading popular fiction (consisting, at that time, mostly of medieval tales of knighthood) and caring for her own appearance. When she began to exhibit worldly vanities, her father placed her in a convent to be educated with other ladies of her social class. In 1533, at the age of eighteen she joined the Carmelite Order and chose Christ as her heavenly Spouse. For eighteen years she suffered physical pain and spiritual dryness. In 1562, with Pope Pius IV’s authorization, she opened the first convent (St. Joseph’s) of the Carmelite Reform. A storm of hostility came from municipal and religious personages, especially because the convent existed without endowment, but she staunchly insisted on poverty and subsistence only through public alms. John Baptist Rossi, the Carmelite prior general from Rome, went to Ávila in 1567 and approved the reform, directing Teresa to found more convents and to establish monasteries. In the same year, while at Medina del Campo, Spain, she met a young Carmelite priest, Juan de Yepes (later St. John of the Cross, the poet and mystic), who she realized could initiate the Carmelite Reform for men. A year later St. John of the Cross opened the first monastery of the Primitive Rule at Duruelo, Spain. Assisted by St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa succeeded in establishing the Reform of the Discalced Carmelites, for both the brethren and the sisters of her Order. Before her death in 1582, thirty-two monasteries of the Reformed Rule had been established, among which seventeen were convents of nuns.
St. Teresa of Jesus, honored by the Church as the “seraphic virgin,” virgo seraphica, and reformer of the Carmelite Order, ranks first among women for wisdom and learning. She is called doctrix mystica, doctor of mystical theology; in a report to Pope Paul V the Roman Rota declared: “Teresa has been given to the Church by God as a teacher of the spiritual life. The mysteries of the inner mystical life which the holy Fathers propounded unsystematically and without orderly sequence, she has presented with unparalleled clarity.” Her writings are still the classic works on mysticism, and from her all later teachers have drawn, e.g., Francis de Sales, Alphonsus Liguori. Characteristic of her mysticism is the subjective-individualistic approach; there is little integration with the liturgy and social piety, and thus she reflects the spirit of the sixteenth and following centuries. Truly wonderful were the exterior and interior manifestations of her mystical union with God, especially during the last decade of her life. These graces reached a climax when her heart was transfixed (transverberatio cordis), an event that is commemorated in the Carmelite Order by a special feast on August 27. She practiced great devotion to the foster-father of Jesus, whose cult was greatly furthered throughout the Church through her efforts. St. Teresa’s health failed her for the last time while she was traveling through Salamanca in 1582. She accepted her dramatic final illness as God’s chosen means of calling her into his presence forever. “O my Lord, and my spouse, the desired hour is now come,” she stated. “The hour is at last come, wherein I shall pass out of this exile, and my soul shall enjoy in thy company what it hath so earnestly longed for.”
When dying she often repeated the words: “Lord, I am a daughter of the Church!” St. Teresa of Avila died on October 4 or 15, 1582 at Alba de Tormes, Spain at the age of 67. Her holy body rests upon the high altar of the Carmelite church in Alba, Spain; her heart with its mysterious wound is reserved in a precious reliquary on the Epistle side of the altar. She was canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 22, 1622, along with three of her greatest contemporaries: St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Philip Neri. St. Teresa received great gifts from God. She also wrote many books on Mystical Theology considered by Popes Gregory XV and Urban VII to be equal to those of a Doctor of the Church. Accordingly, on September 27, 1970, Pope Paul VI added her to the roll of the Doctors of the Church. St. Teresa is one of the first two woman Doctors of the Church, along with 14th century Dominican St. Catherine of Siena. St. Teresa’s writings, especially the Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, have helped generations of believers. She’s the Patron Saint of sickness; against headaches; against heart disease; lacemakers; loss of parents; opposition of Church authorities; those in need of grace; religious; Congregation of the Sisters of the Divine Redeemer; those ridiculed for their piety; Spain; those named Teresa, Theresa, Teresita, Terry, Tessa, Teresina, and Tracy.
QUOTES OF SAINT TERESA OF JESUS:
☆ “Let nothing affright thee, Nothing dismay thee. All is passing, God ever remains. Patience obtains all. Whoever possesses God Cannot lack anything God alone suffices.” ☆ “Prayer is an act of love, words are not needed. Even if sickness distracts from thoughts, all that is needed is the will to love.” ☆ “Mental prayer, in my opinion, is nothing else, than an intimate sharing between friends. It means taking time frequently, to be alone with Him, who we know loves us. The important thing is, not to think much but to love much and so do, that which best stirs you to love. Love is not great delight but desire to please God in everything.” ☆ “A beginner, must look on himself, as one setting out to make a garden for his Lord’s pleasure, on most unfruitful soil which abounds in weeds. His Majesty roots up the weeds and will put in good plants instead. Let us reckon that this is already done, when the soul decides to practice prayer and has begun to do so.”
PRAYER: God, You raised up St. Teresa by Your Spirit so that she could manifest to the Church the way to perfection. Nourish us with the food of heaven, and fire us, like her, with a desire for holiness. Amen 🙏
“Give alms and behold, everything will be clean for you”
“After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is a guest at the table of a Pharisee, a member of a group who were zealous to keep God’s Law and apply it to all the details of daily living. There were understood to be over 600 regulations within the Jewish law at the time and some of them related to ritual cleanliness, various washings on a variety of occasions such as before meals. Jesus did not appear to follow these regulations faithfully and, as a result, He was suspect in the eyes of people like his host, the Pharisee. Normally if someone invites us to their home for a meal, we would be slow to be critical of our host. However, Jesus did not play at being nice because it was socially expected of Him. According to the Gospel reading, He challenges the tendency of His host to be preoccupied with external cleanliness while being much less concerned with being clean within. Jesus is saying that when it comes to our relationship with God there is something more important than the keeping of regulations and that is what is in our heart. Jesus would be asking us, ‘How is your heart before God?’ ‘What fills your heart?’ ‘Is it greed or generosity?’ The first reading suggests that Paul might ask the same question in a different way, ‘What is it we worship? Is it divine truth or is it a lie?’ These are questions that are always worth returning to or reflecting on.
Our first reading today is the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Galatia, where the Apostle spoke of the matter of the Law and how the people of God there should truly follow and obey the Lord wholeheartedly and truthfully. For the context, we must understand that there were quite a few Jewish people living in Galatia and other regions and cities that St. Paul had been visiting, and as he addressed the faithful through his Epistles, there was the clear intention of him addressing the turmoil and disagreements that existed between the believers and converts that came from both the Jewish and non-Jewish background. Even among the Jewish people themselves, there were different ideas and disagreements on their beliefs, and they were bitterly divided on those matters at times. As such, St. Paul wanted to highlight particularly the matter of the obligation of having to follow, obey and fulfil the Law of God, and how the faithful should not follow the ways of the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and all those who have strictly and rigidly interpreted the Law of God, emphasizing excessively on the details and the intricacies of the rules and rites that needed to be done, and in the process, they ended up falling into the trap of scrupulousness, focusing a lot more on the manner how the Law was to be obeyed and followed rather than on why they need to be obeyed and followed. Their preoccupation on the very extensive, strict and demanding set of the rules, Law and regulations prevented so many people from coming closer to God, and worse still, the prejudices they had against those they deemed to be less worthy than them became a major stumbling block as well. This is what St. Paul was speaking up against, in reminding the faithful that they ought to follow Christ and not man-made rules and regulations.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded again that we should be truly faithful to the Lord in all things, and we should not be easily be swayed by the temptations and pressures of the world around us, all the temptations that may end up leading us astray and further away from God and His salvation. God has revealed the truth about His love, His teachings and Good News to us all through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and through His Son, God has taught us what we all truly need to do in order to follow and obey Him faithfully, and not to fall into the thinking that our knowledge, wisdom and intellect are better than the Wisdom of God, as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had once done. We are called to emulate the life of the Saints and Holy men and women, particularly the Saint we celebrate today, the life and examples of St. Teresa of Jesus or St. Teresa of Avila. Let us all therefore strive as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people to follow Him ever more wholeheartedly and worthily in all things. Let us all continue to do our best so that our whole lives, our every actions and deeds, our words and interactions with one another will continue to proclaim the glory of God. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us his grace and bless each and every one of us, and may He continue to guide us in our journey through life and strengthen us in our every efforts and endeavours to glorify Him like His holy saints had done before us, now and always. Amen 🙏🏽
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER:
MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY: The Catholic Church designates and dedicate October as the Month of the Holy Rosary. During this month the faithful venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary especially under her title of Our Lady of the Rosary, and make special effort to honor the Holy Rosary with group recitations and rosary processions. The Lady of the Rosary honors a large battle between the Catholic Church and the Muslim caliphate of the Ottoman Empire. This battle, in the Gulf of Patras, near Greece, took place in the 16th century, on October 7, 1571. St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers, is the Saint to whom Our Lady famously appeared and gave the prayers of the Holy Rosary to assist him as a spiritual weapon in combating heresy and leading souls back to the one, true Catholic faith. Our Blessed Mother Mary ~ Pray for us 🙏
THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY: Until about the 15th century hundreds of mysteries were part of the Rosary devotion then the 15 mysteries that we know today were definitively fixed as “the Mysteries of the Rosary.” Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in 2002 added the five Luminous Mysteries.
Through the meditations of the complete Rosary one recalls and has impressed on his mind, the Popes tell us, “the chief mysteries of the Christian religion,” “the mysteries of our Redemption,” “the great mysteries of Jesus and His Mother united in joys, sorrows, and triumphs.” The twenty mysteries are divided into four equal groups, known as “The Joyful,” “The Sorrowful,” “The Glorious,” and “The Luminous Mysteries.”
PRAYER OF ST. LOUISE DE MONTFORT: O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your might, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Subdue every hostile power, the devil, the world and the flesh, in the strength of Your Spirit, for the glory of Your Father, Amen 🙏🏽
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER – FOR A SHARED MISSION: We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen 🙏🏾
During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾
PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏
Let us pray:
My fervent Lord, You spoke words of love in many ways. At times You were gentle and at times You were firm. Please give me the grace and humility I need to be open to Your firm rebukes of love. Help me to sincerely see the ways in which I need to change my life so that Your grace will transform my interior life, flowing over into my actions. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You more. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏🏽
Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor ~ 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 and month of October 🙏🏽
Greetings, and blessings beloved family. Happy Monday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time!
On this special Feast day, 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. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary with all the Angels and Saints of God in Heaven, may we be comforted as we continue to pray for the gentle repose of the souls of our loved ones who recently passed away. We pray for the repose of the souls of all those who will die today, asking God to have mercy on their souls and to lead them into Eternal Life. And we continue to pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
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🙏
On this feast day, we continue to pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally, physically and critically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for our children and children all over the world, for students, for those seeking for the fruit of the womb, for the poor and needy, we pray for difficult marriages, for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. 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” | October 14, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | October 14, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis” | LIVE Basilica of St. Mary Major | October 6, 2024 |
Pray Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes | October 14, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| October 14, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” oùn YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT CALLISTUS I, POPE, AND MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY: OCTOBER 14TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Callistus I, Pope, and Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families, and our world. We pray for the poor, the needy, and the most vulnerable. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill 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. We pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for Cemetery Workers. 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 CALLISTUS I, POPE, AND MARTYR: Pope St. Callistus I (d. 222 A.D.) was a Roman by birth and a Christian slave who had a Christian master in second-century Rome. The saint caused a major controversy, including a schism that lasted almost two decades, by choosing to emphasize God’s mercy in his ministry. However, the early Pope’s model of leadership has endured, and his martyrdom in the year 222 confirmed his example of holiness. St. Callistus was the servant of a fellow Christian serving in the Roman imperial household. He was entrusted with the task of managing his master’s wealth, which he used to operate a bank into which many Christians invested their money. When the bank failed due to unpaid loans, St. Callistus fled the city in fear of retribution. He was soon caught, and in punishment was sentenced to the treadmill and then later, hard slave labor in the Sardinian tin mines. He eventually obtained his freedom when he and the other Christian slaves working in the mines were released, or perhaps ransomed, with special pardon from the Emperor. St. Callistus was later recalled to Rome by Pope Zephyrinus and ordained deacon. As a deacon he was hired by Pope Zephyrinus to administer the Church’s property, he served as the Pope’s deacon, top adviser, and the organizer and caretaker of the important Christian cemetery, organized the burial of martyrs in the catacombs along the Appian Way, This cemetary, which now bears St. Callistus’ name, the Cemetery of Saint Callistus, contains the relics of many martyrs.
As the Holy Father’s adviser, St. Callistus drew the ire of Tertullian and St. Hippolytus of Rome who were his constant theological opponents. Eighteen years later, in 217 St. Callistus succeeded Pope Zephyrinus as pontiff, elected to the Chair of St. Peter as the sixteenth Pope when Pope Zephyrinus died. St. Callistus was known for his leniency and forgiveness. He upheld the teaching of the Church that grave sins could be forgiven with true contrition and due penance, which was controversial at the time. Throughout his brief reign, which coincided with the rather peaceful reign of Emperor Alexander Severus during which Christians began to build churches for the public exercise of their religion, this Pope displayed the qualities of a wise, firm, and compassionate shepherd. He instituted the fast on Ember Days, decreed that ordinations should be held during the Ember Weeks, and established the practice of absolution of all sins, including those that rigorists considered irremissible. He also founded the Church of St. Mary Beyond the Tiber and provided for the burial of Martyrs. As pope, he regulated the discipline of the sacrament of penance, ruling that penitent sinners were welcome in church. He defended the faith against the Adoptionist and Modalist heresies regarding the Holy Trinity and the Person of Jesus Christ. While he vigorously opposed heresy, his charitable attitude toward repentant sinners incurred the wrath of contemporary rigorists. This led to a schism with his rival St. Hippolytus, an erudite Roman theologian, who became the first anti-pope. Hippolytus accused Pope Callistus of sympathizing with heretics. He also disagreed with Pope Callistus’ teaching about the power of Divine Mercy in the sacrament of confession. St. Hippolytus, resented the new Pope’s clarification that even the most serious sins could be absolved after sincere confession. The Pope’s assertion of Divine Mercy also scandalized the North African Christian polemicist Tertullian, alr from the Church in Carthage, who also erroneously held that certain sins were too serious to be forgiven through confession. Under the reign of Alexander Severus, Pope Callistus was thrown into prison, and then was tortured by starvation in prison and scourged daily. Finally Pope Callistus was thrown from a window of the house headlong into a well, where he drowned. Pope Callistus died a martyr in 222. His own burial place is on the Via Aurelia. Both Pope Callistus and Hippolytus were martyred during an uprising in Rome. They were both canonized as saints. It is believed that Hippolytus made peace with the church before his death. The relics of St. Callistus were transferred in the 9th century to Santa Maria in Trastevere. St. Callistus is the first pope after St. Peter to be honored as a martyr. He’s the Patron Saint of Cemetery workers.
PRAYER: Lord, graciously hear the prayers of Your people. Let us be aided by the merits of Pope St. Callistus, at whose passion we rejoice. Amen. 🙏
“This generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah”
“While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is exasperated with His contemporaries because they fail to take Him seriously. They look for a sign from him, while being indifferent to all that He is offering them through His words and deeds. Jesus reminds His hearers that, in the Scriptures, the people of Nineveh took the prophet Jonah seriously and the Queen of the South took Solomon seriously. Yet, Jesus’ own contemporaries do not take Him seriously, even though, as Jesus says, ‘there is something greater than Solomon here… there is something greater than Jonah here’. Jesus is indeed greater than Jonah and all the other prophets of Israel; He is greater than Solomon and all the other wise people that appeared in Israel since Solomon. Jesus is the Son of God; He is God in human form. There is such a richness and depth to Jesus’ identity that we never fully grasp Him in this life. There is always more to Jesus than we can conceive. There is always something greater to Him that we have not yet come to appreciate. In his letter to the Ephesians St. Paul speaks about the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, and yet he prays that we would come to know this love of Christ. This knowledge Paul prays for us to have is not just knowledge of the mind but of the heart. We are always on a journey towards this knowing the love of Christ because it is always greater than we imagine. Today’s Gospel invites us to keep growing in our appreciation for the gift that God has given us in His Son, Jesus. We shown our appreciation of this gift most of all when we respond to Jesus as generously as the Queen of Sheba responded to King Solomon and as the people of Nineveh responded to the prophet Jonah. We show that we treasure the gift that is Jesus by placing Him at the centre of our lives.
Our first reading today from the beginning of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in the city and region of Ephesus, one of the great cities of Antiquity and an important early centre of Christian missions and evangelisation. There in that Epistle, St. Paul spoke of the story of Abraham and his two sons, which were born to him through two different women to highlight what he wanted to convey to them regarding the Christian faith which they had received and come to believe in. First was Ishmael, the son born to Abraham through Hagar, the slave owned by his wife, Sarah, which according to the rules and customs of his time, any children born to the slave of a woman, was considered to belong to the woman and was legally a son of Abraham. Then there was also Isaac, born from Sarah herself, who was at the time was already very old and long past childbearing age. This story from the Book of Genesis highlighted to us the importance of trusting in God and obeying His will and commandments, and not to believe or trust in worldly ways and methods. It was Sarah who suggested to Abraham that he should lay with her slave Hagar, that she would bear a son for him, despite the Lord having assured and then repeatedly reassured Abraham that he would be the father and progenitor of many nations and people through his wife Sarah. The impatience of Sarah and the lack of faith that happened at the time eventually led to the complications that came about because of the presence of both Ishmael and Isaac, both according to rules and customs, were legally sons and heirs of Abraham. Nonetheless, God told Abraham that He would still bless Ishmael as he was Abraham’s son, but reiterated that His blessings and grace would fully be with Isaac and his descendants, the ones whom God had intended them for. St. Paul spoke of how the sons and descendants of Ishmael were born out of slavery and hence were bound to the enslavement and were not free, while the sons and descendants of Isaac were born of their free woman, Sarah, and thus was not subject to enslavement anymore, and they were truly free. St. Paul was in fact not comparing about the status of whether the descendants of Ishmael or Isaac were free or enslaved, as the Israelites, the descendants of Isaac, were themselves enslaved in Egypt for some period of time. Rather, the Apostle was using the comparison to highlight, as mentioned, the difference between obeying the old, human-based and flawed laws and rules, customs and practices of the Jewish people as especially carried out and enforced by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, associated with this ‘enslavement’ to the worldly rules and ways, versus the true Law of God as revealed to them and all of us through Christ and His Church.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are called to heed the words of the Lord calling on each and every one of us to put our faith and trust in the Lord, keeping ourselves away from the temptations of worldly desires and pleasures, all of which had kept us away from truly being able to follow the Lord faithfully and wholeheartedly. We should always strive to resist those temptations, pressures and coercions, all the things that have often become difficult and challenging stumbling blocks for many of us because they had played upon our desires and ambitions, touching upon the greed and ego in us, and threatening to keep us away from the Lord and His salvation, if we are not vigilant against them. Let us all therefore follow in the good examples and in the inspiring actions of the Saints and Holy men and women, especially Pope St. Callistus I, who we celebrate today. Let us walk ever more faithfully in the path which God has set before us, in all that He has shown and taught us to do. The Saints, including Pope St. Callistus I have shown all of us what it truly means for us to be good and devout Christians, as God’s followers and disciples. We must always do whatever we can, in all the opportunities given to us so that our every words, actions and deeds truly show this commitment and faith in the Lord. Therefore, let us all continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord rather than in the human wisdom and intellect, or be enslaved and be narrow-minded because of our attachments to the rules, regulations and customs of the world. May the Lord continue to help and guide us in our journey of faith, so that in everything that we do in each and every moments of our lives, we will continue to commit ourselves wholly and focus our every attention and efforts to walk in God’s path rather than to follow the whim of our own desires and ambitions in life. Let us all not harden our hearts and minds, and turn away from the darkness of this world, and instead, embrace wholeheartedly God’s path and ways, following in the examples of our holy predecessors, now and always. May God continue to bless us and guide us in our journey of faith, and may He help us to persevere through the many challenges of our faith and life, at all times. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to be true to what God wants for us and to entrust our lives to Him. May the Lord be with us always, and empower us to remain ever faithful to Him, forevermore. Amen 🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER:
MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY: The Catholic Church designates and dedicate October as the Month of the Holy Rosary. During this month the faithful venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary especially under her title of Our Lady of the Rosary, and make special effort to honor the Holy Rosary with group recitations and rosary processions. The Lady of the Rosary honors a large battle between the Catholic Church and the Muslim caliphate of the Ottoman Empire. This battle, in the Gulf of Patras, near Greece, took place in the 16th century, on October 7, 1571. St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers, is the Saint to whom Our Lady famously appeared and gave the prayers of the Holy Rosary to assist him as a spiritual weapon in combating heresy and leading souls back to the one, true Catholic faith. Our Blessed Mother Mary ~ Pray for us 🙏
THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY: Until about the 15th century hundreds of mysteries were part of the Rosary devotion then the 15 mysteries that we know today were definitively fixed as “the Mysteries of the Rosary.” Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in 2002 added the five Luminous Mysteries.
Through the meditations of the complete Rosary one recalls and has impressed on his mind, the Popes tell us, “the chief mysteries of the Christian religion,” “the mysteries of our Redemption,” “the great mysteries of Jesus and His Mother united in joys, sorrows, and triumphs.” The twenty mysteries are divided into four equal groups, known as “The Joyful,” “The Sorrowful,” “The Glorious,” and “The Luminous Mysteries.”
PRAYER OF ST. LOUISE DE MONTFORT: O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your might, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Subdue every hostile power, the devil, the world and the flesh, in the strength of Your Spirit, for the glory of Your Father, Amen 🙏🏽
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER – FOR A SHARED MISSION: We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen 🙏🏾
During this Ordinary Time, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, Nigeria, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏🏾
PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. We pray for all mothers, wives, those going through challenges in their marriages, Victims of verbal and spousal abuse, and we pray for peace, love and unity in our families and our world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen 🙏
Let us pray:
My perfect Lord, every decision You made in life was made out of love and was in accord with the perfect will of the Father. Give me the grace I need to make every decision in life in imitation of Your perfect example. May my life imitate You as You laid down Your life for others. I choose You and Your glorious sacrificial life as the sign by which I am directed 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, have mercy on us. Our Blessed Mother Mary; Saint Callistus I, Pope 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 and month of October 🙏🏽
