Author: Resa

FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 29, 2024

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter!

We continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this Easter season and always🙏

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

Pray “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 29, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | April 29, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 29, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 29, 2024 |

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

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Monday, April 29, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 14:5-18
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 115:1-2, 3-4, 15-16
Gospel, John 14:21-26

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF APRIL – MONTH OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST: The month of April is traditionally dedicated to devotion to Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches that the Blessed Sacrament is the real and living presence of Christ—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—received into our souls with every reception of Holy Communion. Our Eucharistic Lord is the source and summit of our Christian life, the ultimate proof of His infinite love for us.

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL – FOR THE ROLE OF WOMEN: We pray that the dignity and immense value of women be recognized in every culture, and for the end of discrimination that they experience in different parts of the world. 🙏

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been 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 the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen🙏

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

On this special feast day, as we continue to celebrate our risen Lord, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the Clergy and religious as they serve in the Lord’s Vineyard. We also pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved, we pray for the repose of their gentle souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus 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🙏

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

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA, VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH; SAINT HUGH OF CLUNY, ABBOT AND SAINT PETER OF VERONA, PRIEST AND MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 29TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church; Saint Hugh of Cluny and Saint Peter of Verona, Priest and Martyr. During this Easter season, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick, we particularly pray for those suffering from cancers and those who are terminally ill and dying. May God in His infinite grace and mercy grant them His divine healing and intervention. We also pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, for the poor and needy, for all expectant mothers and midwives and Christians all over the world. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA, VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: St. Catherine (March 25, 1347 – April 29, 1380), was born in Siena, on the feast of the Annunciation, March 25, 1347 and was one of the youngest, 24th of 25 children of a wealthy wool dyer and his wife, Jacopo and Lapa Benincasa. Her twin sister died in infancy. A lay member of the third-order Dominican, was a mystic, activist, and author who had a great influence on Italian literature and the Catholic Church. St. Catherine was a peacemaker and counselor to the Pope. She singlehandedly ended the Avignon exile of the successors of Peter in the 14th century. St. Catherine exhibited an unusually independent character as a child and an exceptionally intense prayer life. When she was seven years old she had the first of her mystical visions, in which she saw Jesus surrounded by Saints and seated in glory. In the same year she vowed to consecrate her virginity to Christ. When, at the age of 16, her parents decided that she should marry, she cut off her hair to make herself less appealing, and her father, realizing that he couldn’t contend with her resolve, let her have her way. She joined the Dominican Tertiaries and lived a deep and solitary life of prayer and meditation for the next three years in which she had constant mystical experiences, capped, by the end of the three years with an extraordinary union with God granted to only a few mystics, known as ‘mystical marriage.’ She had regular mystical visits from, and conversations with, Jesus, Mary, and many of the Saints. St. Catherine had no formal education and was illiterate, yet her theological knowledge acquired through prayer astounded learned theologians. She was especially devoted to working for the unity and spiritual health of the Church.

St. Catherine suffered many intense periods of desolation alongside her mystical ecstasies, often feeling totally abandoned by God. She ended her solitude at this point and began tending to the sick, poor, and marginalized, especially lepers. As her reputation for holiness and remarkable personality became known throughout Siena, she attracted a band of disciples, two of whom became her confessors and biographers, and together they served Christ in the poor with even greater ardor. The Lord called her to a more public life while she was still in her 20s, and she established correspondences with many influential figures, advising and admonishing them and exhorting them to holiness, including the Pope himself who she never hesitated to rebuke when she saw fit. Great political acts which are attributed to her include achieving peace between the Holy See and Florence who were at war, to convince the Pope to return from his Avignon exile, which he did in 1376, and to heal the great schism between the followers of the legitimate Pope, Urban VI, and those who opposed him in 1380. She achieved this while on her deathbed. Her Dialogues, one of the classics of Italian literature, are the record of her mystical visions which she dictated in a state of mystical ecstasy. St. Catherine was a great mystic and was granted the stigmata, in 1375, while visiting Pisa, she received the stigmata, even though they never appeared on her body during her lifetime, owing to her request to God. They appeared only on her incorruptible body after her death. Her practical wisdom and profound spiritual insight was widely sought both inside and outside the Church. She died in Rome on April 29, 1380, at the age of 33, worn out by penances, travel, and the burden of her involvement in so many pressing ecclesial affairs, offering her life to God for the sanctification of the Church. She was canonized in 1461 by Pope Pius II. St. Catherine has long been regarded as one of the finest theological minds on the Church—as is shown by her outstanding work, Dialogue, as well as some 400 Letters—and on October 4, 1970 Pope Paul VI declared her a Doctor of the Church. She was the first woman (along with Teresa of Ávila) to be declared a doctor of the Church. St. Catherine of Siena is the co-patron of Italy and of Europe and the Patron Saint of fire prevention; bodily ills; miscarriages; people ridiculed for their piety; sexual temptation; sick people; sickness; nurses, Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA; Europe; illness; Italy; Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines; Samal, Bataan, Philippines.

Quotes of Saint Catherine of Siena:

“Sin arises simply from loving what God hates and hating what God loves.”

“Let all do the work which God has given them, and not bury their talent, for that is also a sin deserving severe punishment. It is necessary to work always and everywhere for all God’s creatures.”

PRAYER: Saint Catherine of Siena, your love of God was expressed in so many vibrant ways and in a fervent love of His Church. From your exalted place in heaven, we seek your powerful intercession to make all Catholics more ardent in their love of the Trinity, of the Passion, and of the Papacy… Amen🙏

God, You caused St. Catherine to shine with Divine love in the contemplation of the Lord’s Passion and in the service of Your Church. By her help, grant that Your people, associated in the mystery of Christ, may ever exult in the revelation of His glory… Amen🙏

SAINT HUGH OF CLUNY, ABBOT: St. Hugh (1024-1109) sometimes called Hugh the Great or Hugh of Semur, was the Abbot of Cluny from 1049 until his death. A prince and was an adviser to nine popes. He was one of the most influential leaders of the monastic orders from the Middle Ages.  Renowned for his charity towards the suffering poor, he built a hospital for lepers, where he himself performed the most menial duties. Saint Hugh was a prince related to the sovereign house of the dukes of Burgundy, and received his education under the tutelage of his pious mother and by the solicitude of Hugh, Bishop of Auxerre, his great-uncle. From his infancy he was given to prayer and meditation, and his life was remarkably innocent and holy. One day, hearing an account of the wonderful sanctity of the monks of Cluny under Saint Odilo, he was so moved that he set out at that moment, and going there humbly begged the monastic habit. After a rigid novitiate, he made his profession in 1039, at the age of sixteen years. His extraordinary virtue, especially his admirable humility, obedience, charity, sweetness, prudence, and zeal, gained him the respect of the entire community.

At the death of Saint Odilo in 1049, though Saint Hugh was only twenty-five years old, he succeeded to the government of that great abbey, which he continued for sixty-two years. During those years, the role of Cluny was immense. From it came two very illustrious Popes, Urban II and Pascal II, both disciples of Saint Hugh. The king of Castille, Alphonsus VI, owed his deliverance from an imprisonment to the prayers and intervention of Saint Hugh. A count of Macon entered the monastery with thirty knights and a great many servants, while the countess, his wife, retired to a convent founded by Saint Hugh. Donations of large terrains were made to this Abbey, permitting innumerable foundations. Urban II gave Saint Hugh the right to wear pontifical ornaments for the solemn feast days. Saint Hugh of Cluny died on April 29, 1109, at the age of eighty-five years. He was canonized twelve years after his death by Pope Calixtus II on January 1, 1120. He’s Patron Saint against fever.

Saint Hugh of Cluny, Abbot ~ Pray for us🙏

SAINT PETER OF VERONA, PRIEST AND  MARTYR: St. Peter of Verona (1205- April 6, 1252) was a 13th century Italian Catholic priest. He was a Dominican friar and a celebrated preacher. His parents were Manichaeans, but he was converted and entered the Order of Preachers with the ambition not only of preaching the faith but of giving his life for it.  He served as Inquisitor in  Lombardy and had his wish, for in the course of his apostolic work he was assassinated by the Manichaeans on the road from Como to Milan in 1252. St. Peter of Verona was born in 1205 at Verona of Manichean parents; there he nonetheless attended a Catholic school. One day his Manichean uncle asked what he learnt there. The Creed, answered Peter: I believe in God, Creator of heaven and earth. No arguments could shake his faith, and at the age of sixteen he received the habit from Saint Dominic himself at Bologna. After his ordination, he preached to the heretics of Lombardy and converted multitudes. Saint Peter was constantly obliged to dispute with heretics, and although he was able to confound them, still the devil took occasion thereby to tempt him one day against faith. Instantly he had recourse to prayer before an image of Our Lady, and heard a voice saying to him the words of Jesus Christ in the Gospel, I have prayed for thee, Peter, that thy faith may not fail; and thou shalt confirm thy brethren in it. (Luke 22:32)

He often conversed with the Saints, and one day the martyred virgins Catherine, Agnes and Cecilia appeared to him and conferred with him. A passing religious, hearing their feminine voices, accused him to their Superior, who without hesitation or questions, exiled him to a convent where no preaching was being done. Saint Peter submitted humbly, but complained in prayer to Jesus crucified that He was abandoning him to his bad reputation. The crucifix spoke: And I, Peter, was I too not innocent? Learn from Me to suffer the greatest sorrows with joy. Eventually his innocence was brought to light; for his part, he had learned in his solitude to love humiliation and confusion. Again engaged in preaching, miracles accompanied his exhortations. He traveled all over Italy and became famous. Once when preaching to a vast crowd under the burning sun, the heretics defied him to procure shade. He prayed, and a cloud overshadowed the audience. Every day at the elevation of the Mass he prayed, Grant, Lord, that I may die for Thee, who for me didst die. His prayer was answered. His enemies, confounded by him, sought his life. Two of them attacked him in 1252 on the road to Milan and struck his head with an axe. Saint Peter fell, commended himself to God, dipped his finger in his own blood, and wrote on the ground, I believe in God, Creator of heaven and earth. He was then stabbed to death. The brother religious accompanying him also suffered death. The details of the crime were made known by Saint Peter’s murderer, named Carino, who after fleeing from justice confessed his crime, asking for a penance from the Dominican Fathers. He took the habit, and according to their testimony lived the life of a saint and persevered to the end. Miracles at Saint Peter’s tomb and elsewhere converted a great many heretics. He was canonized as a Catholic saint 11 months after his death, making this the fastest canonization in history. He’s Patron Saint of Inquisitors, midwives and Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

St. Peter of Verona, Priest and Martyr ~ Pray for us🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ John 14:21-26

“The Advocate whom the Father will send will teach you everything”

“Jesus said to His disciples: “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, “Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. “I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says to His disciples, ‘the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you’. It is the evening before Jesus is put to death; His disciples are aware that Jesus is taking His leave of them. In that highly charged hour Jesus assures them that His leaving them, His death, will not be the end of His relationship with them. He promised them He will send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit from the Father who will teach them everything and remind them of all Jesus said to them. Jesus’ relationship with them will endure in and through the Holy Spirit. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to lead us into a deeper understanding of all that Jesus did and said. In that sense, the Holy Spirit leads us to Jesus, just as Jesus leads us to the Father. It is the Holy Spirit who helps us to hear what Jesus said as a word addressed to us today; the Holy Spirit brings Jesus close to us, makes Him present and brings His word to life for us. That is why as we sit to listen to the Lord’s word it is good to invoke the coming of the Holy Spirit, and to invite the Spirit to bring that word alive for us. Jesus is present to all of us, within all of us, in and through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings Jesus to us today and brings us to Jesus. That is why we need to keep on praying, ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart’. The Holy Spirit helps us to listen fruitfully to the Lord’s word; the Holy Spirit enables us also to make a heartfelt response to that word, both in prayer and in how we live. We keep asking the Spirit we have already received to keep on filling us more and more, filling our thoughts, words, deeds, filling our very being, so that our relationship with the Lord will continue to deepen. We very much need the Holy Spirit; that is why the church encourages us to pray, ‘Come Holy Spirit’ especially during these weeks as we prepare for the feast of Pentecost.

Our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles details the time when the Apostles, St. Paul and St. Barnabas, who were in the midst of a missionary journey, went to the area of Lystra in Asia Minor, where they performed several miracles and proclaimed the Good News of God to the people there. However, as we heard, the many pagan peoples of Lystra mistook this miraculous sign as their own pagan gods, Zeus and Hermes having come down into their midst in the person of St. Paul and St. Barnabas. This was actually accurate as per Greek mythology which believed that their gods occasionally walked down this world in the human form, and hence, those people of Lystra misunderstood what St. Paul and St. Barnabas had done, and treated them as if they were gods incarnate in the flesh, worshipping and honouring them like gods. St. Paul and St. Barnabas pleaded before the people with little effect, as they told them the folly of their actions and the mistakes in their ways and beliefs, in their failure to recognise the one and true Living God, and in their attachments to the inanimate gods and beings of earth, sea, sky and nature as how their pagan beliefs revolved around. By the way they were treated, St. Paul and St. Barnabas were treated with the greatest honours and respect, and it took great courage for them to resist the temptations of pride, glory and worldly power, and not only that, but even also chiding the people for their false ways and erroneous beliefs. They were not swayed by worldly glory and ambition, and while they could have gained and benefitted from the great fervour and honour they were receiving from the people, but they remained firm in their faith and remembered the mission that God has entrusted to them.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, all of us are called and reminded to be the faithful and humble disciples of the Lord, carrying out our lives and living our Christian faith daily to glorify the Lord and to proclaim His Good News to everyone, and not for our own personal glory and ambition. All of us should get rid from our hearts and minds, the dangerous evils of our pride, ego, greed and other things that can become serious obstacles in our path towards the Lord, His grace and salvation. We ought to heed what we have heard from our Scripture readings today relating to the experiences of the Apostles and what the Lord Himself had told His disciples to help us to remain rooted in our faith in the Lord, and not to fall into the many temptations all around us. May the Risen Lord, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, continue to guide us all and help us in our journey, so that we all may come ever closer to His presence, and be inspired to live our lives with ever greater devotion and commitment to the Law and commandments that He has taught and shown us how to do. May all of us be the worthy and great beacons of God’s light, truth and love, in all of our various communities, at every possible opportunities presented to us. Therefore, we should follow the good examples of the Apostles and the many other Saints, Holy men and women of God, including that of St. Catherine of Siena, Saint Hugh of Cluny and Saint Peter of Verona and all the other Saints, whose feast we celebrate today. May all of us be drawn to love the Lord more and dedicate ourselves to a Holy life and existence much as shown us with great and exemplary life of the Saints. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless us all as we continue to live the true spirit of Easter joy and glorify our Risen Lord by our lives. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

Most glorious Lord Jesus, You promised the disciples and all Your people that the Holy Spirit would be sent to us to remind us of all that You have revealed. Holy Spirit, please continuously descend upon me, teach me and guide me. Help me to never forget the many lessons I have been taught so that I will never let fear lead to confusion. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Hugh of Cluny and Saint Peter of Verona ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for His Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all and for vocations to priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful Fifth Week of Easter🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (YEAR B)

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 28, 2024

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Sunday of the Fifth Week of Easter!

We continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this Easter season and always🙏

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

Pray “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 28, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | April 28, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 28, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 28, 2024 |

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

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year B), April 28, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 9:26-31
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32
Reading 2, First John 3:18-24
Gospel, John 15:1-8

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF APRIL – MONTH OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST: The month of April is traditionally dedicated to devotion to Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches that the Blessed Sacrament is the real and living presence of Christ—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—received into our souls with every reception of Holy Communion. Our Eucharistic Lord is the source and summit of our Christian life, the ultimate proof of His infinite love for us.

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL – FOR THE ROLE OF WOMEN: We pray that the dignity and immense value of women be recognized in every culture, and for the end of discrimination that they experience in different parts of the world. 🙏

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been 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 the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen🙏

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

On this special feast day, as we continue to celebrate our risen Lord, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the Clergy and religious as they serve in the Lord’s Vineyard. We also pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved, we pray for the repose of their gentle souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus 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🙏

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

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Fifth Sunday of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ John 15:1–8

“Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit”

“Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus teaches His disciples using a parable, the Parable of the True Vine, in order to tell all of them to remain firmly attached to Him and His truth, and not to separate themselves from Him, or to follow their own path and desires. The Lord revealed Himself as the True Vine, the One through Whom all truth, all life shall come from, using the terms that were familiar to the people of the time, as vineyards were common in the lands of the Israelites, and the people, including the disciples themselves, would have recognised what is meant by the Lord’s parable. This is because if the grapes are not attached to the vine, then they would not only not grow, but they would perish and die. This is therefore an important message and reminder by the Lord to His Church, to all of us that we must always be firmly centred and attached to Him, in all of our faith and lives. Jesus was speaking to His disciples, to all of us today who are trying to be His disciples. The primary reference for Jesus’ words is not the sacrament of ordination but of baptism. When Jesus says, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches’, He is addressing all the baptized. He is speaking about the very deep communion that He wants to have with each one of us, in virtue of our baptism.

Jesus knew that only our close communion with Him would make it possible for us to live with His life, which is a life of loving service of others. This is the fruit that Jesus speaks about in the Gospel reading. ‘Whoever remains in me, with me in them, bears fruit in plenty’. Only a branch untied to the vine can produce grapes and only if we are united to the Lord through faith can our lives bear the fruit of the Lord’s love. According to Saint Paul to the Galatians, he says, ‘the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’. This is the fruit that Jesus speaks about in the gospel reading. St. Paul speaks of it as the fruit of the Spirit; Jesus speaks of it as the fruit of our communion with Him. They are saying the same thing, because it is through the Spirit that the Lord lives in us and we live in him. In the words of Saint John in the second reading, ‘We know that He lives in us by the Spirit that He has given us’. The Lord has already entered into a deeply personal relationship with each of us through His life, death, resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit into our lives. He has taken the initiative to enter into this relationship with us and He will never take back His initiative. Our calling is to remain in that relationship which He has initiated with us. In the Gospel reading, He calls on us to remain in Him, as branches need to remain on the vine. Another way Jesus expresses this call in the Gospel reading is, ‘Make your home in me, as I make mine in you’. The Lord has chosen to make His home in us, through the Holy Spirit, and now He calls on us to make our home in Him.

Our first reading today gives us a picture of what the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of love, looks like in practice. Saul had been one of the church’s fiercest persecutors. When he became a member of the church after the Lord’s appearance to him on the road to Damascus, it is not surprising that many in the church were suspicious of him, indeed, afraid of him. It was St. Barnabas, a leading member of the church, who opened the door for Saul, explaining to the doubters that the Lord had appeared to Saul or Paul and had spoken to him and that Paul had been preaching the Gospel ever since. St. Barnabas believed in St. Paul when others doubted him and he created a space for St. Paul to exercise the mission the Lord had given him. One of the ways we show our love for others is by creating the space for them to shine, allowing them to become the person God is calling them to be. Such humble service is the fruit of our communion with the Lord.

Our first reading today is a very good example of how one person creates an opening for another. At the beginning of His Christian life, St. Paul was very dependant on others to get started on His missionary work. According to our first reading, when he first went to Jerusalem after his conversion, the disciples were very slow to have anything to do with him. They related to him only as the one who, up until recently, had been persecuting them. It was St. Barnabas who created an opening for St. Paul into the young church in Jerusalem. St. Barnabas was a respected church leader, and his strong recommendation for St. Paul was enough to calm everyone down and allow St. Paul to find a place within the Jerusalem community. There must have been more than one Barnabas in the early church, people who opened doors for other believers to use their gifts in the service of the Lord and the church. One of the greatest gifts a person can have is the gift of facilitating the gifts of others. That particular gift is one that requires a certain degree of humility. In creating an opening for St. Paul, St. Barnabas was making way for someone who was, in many ways, more gifted than he himself was. St. Barnabas was opening a door for someone who would go on to become a much more significant member of the early church than St. Barnabas himself was. He may well have realized that this would be the case. Yet, his focus was not on himself, but on the Lord and on the work of the Lord. We may often find ourselves in a position to create an opening for someone who is more gifted than we are, who has more to bring to the task in hand than we do. Stepping back so that others may flourish is one aspect of our baptismal calling. We are called to be a Barnabas figure. If St. Barnabas made way for St. Paul, St. John the Baptist made way for Jesus. St. John’s calling was to serve as a door for Jesus, to create an opening for him. According to the Fourth Gospel, on one occasion, St. John the Baptist said, ‘He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease’. That saying captures something of that humble attitude which is required of those who are being called upon to create openings for others.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures this Sunday, we all celebrate the occasion of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, and as we continue to mark with great joy our Easter commemoration and festivities, we are all reminded to continue to place our focus and emphasis in life upon none other than Our Lord Himself, in all His truth and love, and in everything which He Himself has revealed and given to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. On this Sunday all of us are reminded that if we truly call ourselves as Christians then we really have to centre our whole lives and existence, our every actions, words and deeds upon the Lord, so that in everything that we say and do, we will always be the good role models and inspirations for one another, helping many more people to come ever closer to God and His salvation. If we allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations of worldly glory and pleasures, fame and ambition, we may end up falling away, further away from the true path of Christ. All the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord, the early Church fathers and missionaries have remained firmly true in this path, in the missions and journey that they had undertaken in proclaiming the truth and salvation of God to the nations. There were however many others who have gone astray, who have embraced worldly ambitions and temptations, leading many into the false paths and evils, the path of heresy and disobedience against God. That was how many heresies sprung up in the early Church, leading to divisions in the Body of Christ, the Church of God, breaking the unity of the Church and leading to many people falling into the path of sin and darkness. Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all realise that we must always adhere closely to the fullness of the teachings of the Lord as preserved and taught by His Church, and not to give in to the temptations to embark on our own ideals and interpretations that may lead us down the path of error and even heresy, as what many of our predecessors had done. We have to remember that as parts and members of the same Church of God, the Body of Christ, all of us are united in Our Lord and Saviour, and we ought to believe in Him and His truth wholeheartedly. Otherwise, if we allow ourselves to be swayed by those temptations and wicked desires all around us, then we may end up falling ever deeper into the path of sin and evil, and from there, we may find it hard to get out and return to the path towards the Lord and His salvation. We must remember that separated from the Lord, we can do nothing and there is absolutely no hope for any one of us. Instead, let us all continue to embrace the Lord and remind ourselves to stay faithful to His Law and commandments, doing our very best to live our lives in accordance with His ways. Let us all continue to bear rich fruits of grace and righteousness, of virtue and love, of Christ’s light and truth, by our every good works and deeds, and by everything that we do, in our every endeavours and efforts, to glorify the Lord by our lives. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the Risen Lord continue to bless us all and may He continue to guide and strengthen us in our path in life, in whatever we do for the sake of His glory, and for all that He has called us to do in our respective lives, to be His worthy and good missionaries, all throughout our lives, now and forevermore. Amen 🙏

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT LOUIS-MARIE GRIGNON DE MONTFORT, PRIEST; SAINT PETER CHANEL, PRIEST AND MARTYR AND SAINT GIANNA BERETTA MOLLA ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 28TH: As we continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, today, we celebrate the Memorialof Saint Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort, Priest; St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr and Saint Gianna Beretta Molla. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints during this Easter season, we humbly pray for all expectant mothers and the unborn, we pray for their safety and well-being. We pray for all Healthcare professionals, praying for their health, safety and protection especially during these incredibly challenging times. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SAINT LOUIS-MARIE GRIGNON DE MONTFORT: St. Louis-Marie de Monfort (January 31, 1673 – April 28, 1716) was a 17th century French Roman Catholic Priest and Confessor. He was known in his time as a preacher and was made a missionary apostolic by Pope Clement XI. As well as preaching, St. Louis De Montfort found time to write a number of books which went on to become classic Catholic titles and influenced several popes. He is known for his particular and intense devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the practice of praying the Rosary. St. Louis-Marie is perhaps most famously known for his prayer of entrustment to Our Lady, “Totus Tuus ego sum,” which means, “I am all yours.” The late-Pope John Paul II took the phrase “Totus Tuus” as his episcopal motto.

St. Louis-Marie De Monfort was born in Montfort, Brittany, France on January 31, 1673 to a large farming family. As a child he displayed an unusual spiritual maturity and spent much time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. He possessed a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and was also intimately devoted to the Blessed Virgin, especially through the Rosary. He took the name Marie at his confirmation. The saint manifested a love for the poor while he was at school and joined a society of young men who ministered to the poor and the sick on school holidays. When he was 19, he walked 130 miles to Paris to study theology, gave all he had to the poor that he met along the way and made a vow to live only on alms. After his ordination at 27, he served as a hospital chaplain until the management of the hospital resented his reorganization of the staff and sent him away.

St. Louis-Marie discovered his calling to be an itinerant preacher and great gift for preaching at the age of 32, and committed himself to it for the rest of his life. He received the title of “Apostolic Missionary” from the Pope after his bishop tried to silence him. For the next 17 years he preached missions in countless towns and villages throughout France with an emphasis on renewal and reform. His fiery devotion, oratory skill, and identification with the poor led many souls to conversion. He met with such great success that he often drew crowds of thousands to hear his sermons in which he encouraged frequent communion and devotion to Mary. But he also met with opposition, especially from the Jansenists, a heretical movement within the Church that believed in absolute Predestination, in which only a chosen few are saved, and the rest damned. Much of France was influenced by Jansenism, including many bishops, who banished St. Loius-Marie from preaching in their dioceses. He was even poisoned by Jansenists in La Rochelle, but survived, though he suffered ill health after. While recuperating from the effects of the poisoning, he wrote the masterpiece of Marian piety, “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin,” which he correctly prophesied would be hidden by the devil for a time. His seminal work was discovered 200 years after his death. One year before he died, St. Louis-Marie founded two congregations: the Daughters of Divine Wisdom – which tended to the sick in hospitals and the education of poor girls, and the Company of Mary, missionaries devoted to preaching and to spreading devotion to Mary.

Quotes of St. Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort:

“We never give more honour to Jesus than when we honour His Mother, & we honour her simply and solely to honour Him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek – Jesus, her Son.”

“The rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother.”

O God, You willed to direct the footsteps of St. Louis, Your Priest, in the way of salvation and the love of Christ, with the accompaniment of the Blessed Virgin. Grant that following his example we may meditate on the mysteries of Your love and strive indefatigably to build up Your Church… Amen🙏

SAINT PETER CHANEL, PRIEST AND MARTYR: The Protomartyr of the South Seas, St. Peter Chanel was born in Clet in the diocese of Belley, France, in 1803. He became a diocesan priest and in three years completely revitalized the first parish to which he was assigned. Since his mind was set on missionary work, St. Peter joined the newly formed Society of Mary (Marists), which concentrated on missionary work at home and abroad. To his dismay, he was appointed to teach at the Seminary of Belley and remained there for the next five years, diligently performing his duty. In 1836, St.Peter was sent to the New Hebrides as the superior of a little band of missionaries. After a long and arduous ten-month journey, the band split up, with Peter and two others going to evangelize the island of Futuna. Once there, St. Peter and his two assistants made headway in converting the island’s populace, attracting even the son of the King. As a result, the King dispatched a group of warriors to set upon the saintly head of the missionaries.

On April 28, 1841, three years after his arrival, a band of native warriors entered the hut of Father Peter Chanel on the island of Futuna in the New Hebrides islands near New Zealand. They seized and clubbed the missionary to death and cut up his body with hatchets. He was killed by hose he had come to save and his death brought his work to completion—within five months the entire island was converted to the Faith. Two years later, the whole island was Catholic. St. Peter Chanel’s death bears witness to then  ancient axiom that “the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.” He is the first martyr from Oceania, that part of the world spread over the south Pacific, and he came there as the fulfillment of a dream he had had as a boy. Peter was canonized in 1954 by Pope Pius XII. Patron Saint of Oceania.

PRAYER: God, in order to spread Your Church You crowned St. Peter with martyrdom. Grant that in these paschal joys we may so frequent the mysteries of Christ’s Death and Resurrection as to become witnesses of the new life. Amen🙏
 
SAINT GIANNA BERETTA MOLLA: St. Gianna (October  4, 1922 – April  28, 1962) was an Italian Roman Catholic  pediatrician, a Mother, Doctor, Fashionista and Lover of Life. She was a pro-life doctor and mother who gave her life for her unborn child. Gianna Beretta was born in Magenta (Milan) October 4, 1922. Already as a youth she willingly accepted the gift of faith and the clearly Christian education that she received from her excellent parents. As a result, she experienced life as a marvelous gift from God, had a strong faith in Providence and was convinced of the necessity and effectiveness of prayer. She diligently dedicated herself to studies during the years of her secondary and university education, while, at the same time, applying her faith through generous apostolic service among the youth of Catholic Action and charitable work among the elderly and needy as a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. After earning degrees in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Pavia in 1949, she opened a medical clinic in Mesero (near Magenta) in 1950. She specialized in Pediatrics at the University of Milan in 1952 and there after gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly and poor.

While working in the field of medicine-which she considered a “mission” and practiced as such-she increased her generous service to Catholic Action, especially among the “very young” and, at the same time, expressed her joie de vivre and love of creation through skiing and mountaineering. Through her prayers and those of others, she reflected upon her vocation, which she also considered a gift from God. Having chosen the vocation of marriage, she embraced it with complete enthusiasm and wholly dedicated herself “to forming a truly Christian family”. She became engaged to Pietro Molla and was radiant with joy and happiness during the time of their engagement, for which she thanked and praised the Lord. They were married on September 24, 1955, in the Basilica of St. Martin in Magenta, and she became a happy wife. In November 1956, to her great joy, she became the mother of Pierluigi, in December 1957 of Mariolina; in July 1959 of Laura. With simplicity and equilibrium she harmonized the demands of mother, wife, doctor and her passion for life.

In September 1961 towards the end of the second month of pregnancy, she was touched by suffering and the mystery of pain; she had developed a fibroma in her uterus. Before the required surgical operation, and conscious of the risk that her continued pregnancy brought, she pleaded with the surgeon to save the life of the child she was carrying, and entrusted herself to prayer and Providence. The life was saved, for which she thanked the Lord. She spent the seven months remaining until the birth of the child in incomparable strength of spirit and unrelenting dedication to her tasks as mother and doctor. She worried that the baby in her womb might be born in pain, and she asked God to prevent that. A few days before the child was due, although trusting as always in Providence, she was ready to give her life in order to save that of her child: “If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child – I insist on it. Save him”. On the morning of April 21, 1962, Gianna Emanuela was born. Despite all efforts and treatments to save both of them, on the morning of April 28, amid unspeakable pain and after repeated exclamations of “Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you», the mother died. She was 39 years old. Her funeral was an occasion of profound grief, faith and prayer. The Servant of God lies in the cemetery of Mesero (4 km from Magenta). “Conscious immolation, was the phrase used by Pope Paul VI to define the act of Blessed Gianna, remembering her at the Sunday Angelus of September 23, 1973, as: “A young mother from the diocese of Milan, who, to give life to her daughter, sacrificed her own, with conscious immolation”. The Holy Father in these words clearly refers to Christ on Calvary and in the Eucharist. St. Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994, during the international Year of the Family. She was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on May 16, 2004. She’s the Patron Saint of mothers, physicians, wives, families, and preborn children.

PRAYER TO SAINT GIANNA FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS:  Dear St. Gianna, you who knew that Christ Himself was present in each of your patients, and who chose medicine as a way to serve Him, we entrust to you the health care professionals of our times. We ask you to take into your care in a special way those who do not know Christ, beseeching the Holy Spirit to fill their hearts with Love since God is Love. We ask you to comfort those who are Christians. Keep their eyes focused on their Divine Savior, and never let them forget that He is present before them and through them. You who knew so well the challenges of combining your work with your family life, take care of the families of our doctors, nurses, and health care workers. Help them to know that in their generosity, they too are serving God. Intercede for the health care workers who are sick in body or in spirit, overwhelmed by the high price their bodies and their spirits must pay in order to assist others.
Ask God to bring the souls of the health care professionals who have died into the mercy of his loving embrace.

St. Gianna Molla, pray for them and pray for us.”… Amen🙏

Let us pray:

Jesus, most glorious Vine, You and You alone are the source of all nourishment in life. From You all good things come. Help me to have a firm faith in You and all that You have revealed, so that this faith will bud forth and bring about an abundance of good fruit for the glorious building up of Your Kingdom. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort, Saint Peter Chanel and Saint Gianna Beretta Molla ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for His Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all and for vocations to priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled Sunday and fruitful Fifth Week of Easter🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖

FOURTH WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 27, 2024

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MONTSERRAT

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter!

We continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this Easter season and always🙏

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

Pray “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 27, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | April 27, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 27, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 27, 2024 |

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

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Saturday, April 27, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 13:44-52
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
Gospel, John 14:7-14

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF APRIL – MONTH OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST: The month of April is traditionally dedicated to devotion to Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches that the Blessed Sacrament is the real and living presence of Christ—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—received into our souls with every reception of Holy Communion. Our Eucharistic Lord is the source and summit of our Christian life, the ultimate proof of His infinite love for us.

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL – FOR THE ROLE OF WOMEN: We pray that the dignity and immense value of women be recognized in every culture, and for the end of discrimination that they experience in different parts of the world. 🙏

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been 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 the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen🙏

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

On this special feast day, as we continue to celebrate our risen Lord, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the Clergy and religious as they serve in the Lord’s Vineyard. We also pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved, we pray for the repose of their gentle souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus 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🙏

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

As we continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, today, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady  of Montserrat and the Memorial of Saint Zita of Lucca, Virgin (Patron Saint of Domestic Workers). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of Montserrat and Saint Zita, we humbly pray for the sick, we particularly pray for those who are terminally ill and dying. May God in His infinite grace and mercy grant them His divine healing and intervention. We also pray for the Church, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, for all maids, waitresses and other domestic workers and Christians all over the world.🙏

OUR LADY OF MONTSERRAT: Our Lady of Montserrat or the Virgin of Montserrat is a Marian title associated with a statue of the Madonna and Child venerated at the Santa Maria de Montserrat monastery on the Montserrat Mountain in Catalonia, Spain. Legend relates that the original sculpture was carved by St. Luke and brought to Montserrat by St. Peter in 50 A.D. St. Ignatius of Loyola, a former Crusader, decided to become a missionary after having prayed before this image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The origin of the devotion to Our Lady at the shrine of Montserrat according to the earliest written records dates from 932, when the Count of Barcelona confirmed and renewed an endowment to the shrine made by his father in 888. This gift was again confirmed in 982 by Lothaire, King of France. Constant and unbroken tradition is that even previous to 888, an image of Our Lady was miraculously found among the rocks of Montserrat. Montserrat itself is a fantastic mountain group, four thousand feet high, about twenty miles from Barcelona. The name, Montserrat, of Latin origin, means saw-edged mountain. It is formed by huge boulders that raise their immense bulk perpendicularly to that four thousand foot summit. Outwardly, it resembles the seemingly inaccessible monasteries seen on high Mount Athos in Greece: “Montserrat is, and will forever be, a source of deep impressions caused by the singularity of the place. There, what is material becomes cyclopean, the mysterious is turned mystical and the picturesque is promoted to sublimity.” There is a story that the mountain was once a huge boulder with a smooth surface. At the time of the Crucifixion of Jesus, however, when the sun darkened, the rock was shaken to its very foundations and when light returned, the mountain had a thousand peaks.

The legend relates that the figure of Our Lady came from Jerusalem to Barcelona, and was brought into the mountains to save it from the Saracens. It is true that the Montserrat statue has oriental features, but this could well be traced to the Byzantine sculptors who were constantly employed in the West. The legend goes on to say that in the eighth century shepherds one night saw strange lights on the mountain and heard Seraphic music. Guided by the shepherds, the Bishop of Manresa found, in a cavern, a wooden figure of Our Lady and the Holy Child. He ordered that the statue be carried into the cathedral immediately. However, the procession with the statue never reached the cathedral because, after much marching, the small wooden figure became too heavy so that the Bishop decided to accept it as a sign and left it in a chapel of a nearby hermitage. The statue remained there until a church was built on the site of the present abbey on the top of the rocks near where the statue was discovered. Since that incident, this statue is the most celebrated, the most important of Spain; it is thirty-eight inches in height, and is known as “La Morenata”—The Little Black Madonna. The wood is now black with age; one of its most striking features is the dignified expression of Our Lady. In her right hand, she holds a majestic orb. Our Lady of Montserrat is the Patron Saint of Catalonia, an honour she shares with Saint George. The famed image once bore the inscription ”Nigra Sum Sed Formosa” (Latin: I am Black, but Beautiful).

A historian wrote:  “In all ages the sinful, the suffering, the sorrowful, have laid their woes at the feet of Our Lady of Montserrat and none have ever gone away unheard or unaided.” 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen🙏

PRAYER: O God, Giver of all good things, who didst choose Montserrat as a glorious Shrine for the Mother of thy only begotten Son, and through her intercession there hast granted favors without number to those who sought them there: bow down thine ears now to our petitions as we kneel and pray before Her image. Thou Who livest and reignest forever and ever… Amen🙏

SAINT ZITA OF LUCCA, VIRGIN: Saint Zita (1212-1272), also known as Sitha or Citha), was a 13th century Italian woman whose humble and patient service to God has made her a patron saint of maids and other domestic workers. St. Zita was born in 1212 at Monte Sagrati, near Lucca, Italy into poverty during the early 1200s, Zita was taught by her mother from an early age to seek God’s will in all circumstances. Her elder sister became a Cistercian nun and her uncle Graziano was a hermit whom the local people regarded as a Saint. Zita herself showed a marked tendency to do God’s will obediently whenever it was pointed out to her by her mother. She had already developed a strong prayer life by the time she was sent, at age 12, to work in the home of the Fatinelli family, a well-to-do weaver in Lucca, Italy, eight miles from her native village of Monte Sagrati. St. Zita’s employers lived near a church where she managed – by waking up extremely early in the morning – to attend daily Mass. She looked upon her work primarily as a means of serving God, and kept herself mindful of His presence during long hours of exhausting tasks. Her presence in the Fatinelli household, however, was inexplicably unwelcome and met with harsh treatment for a number of years. Zita suffered hostility and abuse from her employers, including fits of rage and beatings. The young woman faced these trials with patience and inner strength developed through a life of prayer. In time, the members of the household came to value her service, and appreciate the virtues she had acquired through God’s grace.

St. Zita maintained her humility when she was promoted to a position of responsibility within the Fatinelli home. She continued to view her earthly responsibilities as a service to God, and to seek his presence through prayer and fasting. She also refused to hold a grudge against those who once mistreated her. Within her new household role, St. Zita was faithful to Christ’s admonition that superiors should conduct themselves as the servants of all. St. Zita believed that “A servant is not pious if she is not industrious; work-shy piety in people of our position is sham piety.”  According to her, “a servant is not Holy if she is not busy.” She was kind to those under her direction, and mindful of the poor through frequent almsgiving to the point of personal sacrifice. Throughout her life, St. Zita found a source of strength and consolation in the Mass and Holy Communion, which frequently moved her to tears. Despite her many responsibilities, she frequently set aside time to recall God’s presence through contemplative prayer in the course of the day. One anecdote relates a story of St. Zita giving her own food or that of her master to the poor. On one morning, St. Zita left her chore of baking bread to tend to someone in need. Some of the other servants made sure the Fatinelli family was aware of what happened; when they went to investigate, they claimed to have found angels in the Fatinelli kitchen, baking the bread for her.

After foretelling her own death and spiritually preparing for it, St. Zita died very peacefully while at prayer in Lucca, Italy on April 27, 1272 at about the age of 60, serving the same family, and after her death many miracles occurred through her intercession. Many residents regarded her as a saint and began to seek her intercession, to which a large number of miracles were attributed. Some writers even began referring to the city of Lucca as “Santa Zita” in her honor.The Fatinelli family, which had once caused St. Zita such extreme suffering, eventually contributed to the cause of her canonization. The earliest account of her life was found in a manuscript belonging to the family, and published in 1688. The Church’s liturgical veneration of St. Zita was introduced in the early 1500s, and confirmed by Pope Innocent XII on September 5, 1696. In 1580, her body was exhumed and found to be miraculously incorrupt, but it has since been mummified. It is venerated today in the Basilica of St. Frediano, where she attended Mass during her life. Her humble and patient service to God has made her a Patron Saint of maids and other domestic workers, people ridiculed for their piety, single laywomen, waiters, waitresses, Italian City of Lucca and she is often appealed to in order to help find lost keys.

PRAYER: Lord God, You showered heavenly gifts on St. Zita the Virgin. Help us to imitate her virtues during our earthly life and enjoy eternal happiness with her in heaven… Amen🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS:* We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth during this Easter Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ John 14:7-14

“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”

“Jesus said to His disciples: “If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

In today’s Gospel reading we find Philip making a request of Jesus, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied. He understood that it is only in seeing God that all the longings of his heart would be satisfied. Jesus replies to Philip’s words with the statement, ‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father’. Jesus reveals the Father; He is the way to the Father. We won’t see God the Father in this life, but God has sent us His Son. Although we cannot see Jesus in the way Philip and the other disciples saw Him, we can see Him with the eyes of faith in this life. We can see Him in His Word, in the Eucharist, in the other Sacraments, in each other. Such ‘seeing’ of the Lord won’t fully satisfy us but it gives us a glimpse of what awaits us. In our Gospel reading, Jesus makes an extraordinary promise: ‘Whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, He will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father’. Jesus tells His disciples that after His death and resurrection they will go on to do even greater works than He has been doing. We might well ask, ‘How could we, Jesus’ disciples, do greater works than He has done?’ Jesus seems to be suggesting that what He has been doing during His public ministry is but the beginning of what He will go on to do as risen Lord working through His disciples. It is in and through us, His disciples, that the Lord reaches people He could never have reached while working in Judea and Galilee. The Lord wants to work through all of the members of His body, the church, all of us who are His disciples. He has great works that He wants to accomplish through us. Perhaps we don’t take ourselves as seriously as the Lord takes us. Perhaps we underestimate just how much the Lord can do through us if we are open to Him and responsive to the movement of His Spirit in our lives.

Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, details the works of St. Paul and St. Barnabas, who preached and spoke courageously and zealously about the salvation in God which have been made available to all the people, be it to the Jewish people or the non-Jewish ones, also known as the Gentiles among the Jews then. The word Gentile itself came from the Latin word ‘gentes’ which means clan and family, that in the context of the then relationship between the Jewish and non-Jewish people became associated with the non-Jewish people, and that was how the Jews called those who did not belong to their race and to their beliefs, with some considering the Gentiles as being pagans, impure, evil and wicked, being unworthy of God, while they viewed themselves as being superior, better and more worthy of God. This stemmed forth from the beliefs of some amongst the Jews that being descended from the ancient people of Israel, the people that God had first called and chosen to be His people, then they had exclusive privileges and access to the Lord, while the Gentiles were barred from similar access because they did not believe in the Lord in the same way as the Jewish people had done. In truth, God did not want to save only His people Israel exclusively, as it has always been His intent to save every one of us, all the children of mankind, regardless of our race and origins, because He loves each and every single one of us all the same. The Jewish people and their ancestors, the Israelites, were merely the ones who have been called by the Lord first, and it was through them that the salvation of God, made manifest in His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, came through from. He wants everyone to realise that His love is ever enduring and universal, and everyone has the same chance to come to His love, to be reunited and reconciled with our most loving God, Father and Creator. And our Risen Lord is the Way through Whom all of us can find the sure path to this salvation and grace, the path of eternal life and redemption.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, all of us are reminded of the need for us all to have faith in the Lord and to be humble in listening to Him and allowing Him to speak to us in the depth of our hearts and minds. Sometimes we have allowed our ego and pride to get the better of us, and those things prevented us from being able to come close to the Lord and becoming His true disciples and followers. We are all reminded to have this strong and genuine faith in the Lord, committing ourselves and our efforts, time and attention to glorify Him in all of the moments of our lives. As Christians, all of us should be great role models and inspirations for others all around us in how we live our lives. Let us remember the mission that each and every one of us as Christians have in our lives to be exemplary disciples and role models for one another, for our fellow brothers and sisters. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the Risen Lord, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour and King continue to guide and bless us in all things, and may He help each and every one of us to persevere through the challenges facing us in how we live our Christian lives with faith. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

Providential Lord, Your will is perfect and glorious. Please help me to humble myself before You, every day, so that I will understand Your will for my life and choose it always. May I be an instrument of Your saving grace to all whom You wish to touch through me. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of Montserrat and Saint Zita of Lucca, Virgin ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for His Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all and for vocations to priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful Fourth Week of Easter and relaxing weekend🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖

FOURTH WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 26, 2024

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter!

We continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this Easter season and always🙏

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

Pray “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 26, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | April 26, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 26, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 26, 2024 |

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

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Friday, April 26, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 13:26-33
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 2:6-7, 8-9, 10-11
Gospel, John 14:1-6

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF APRIL – MONTH OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST: The month of April is traditionally dedicated to devotion to Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches that the Blessed Sacrament is the real and living presence of Christ—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—received into our souls with every reception of Holy Communion. Our Eucharistic Lord is the source and summit of our Christian life, the ultimate proof of His infinite love for us.

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL – FOR THE ROLE OF WOMEN: We pray that the dignity and immense value of women be recognized in every culture, and for the end of discrimination that they experience in different parts of the world. 🙏

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been 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 the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen🙏

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

On this special feast day, as we continue to celebrate our risen Lord, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the Clergy and religious as they serve in the Lord’s Vineyard. We also pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved, we pray for the repose of their gentle souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus 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🙏

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

We continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, today, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel. And we also celebrate the Memorial of Saint Paschasius Radbertus, Abbot; Saints Cletus and Marcellinus, Popes and Martyrs; and Saint Rafael Arnáiz Baron, Religious (Patron Saint of Diabetics and World Youth Day ).

Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick, we particularly pray for those suffering from diabetes and those who are terminally ill and dying. May God in His infinite grace and mercy grant them His divine healing and intervention. We also pray for the Church, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Clergy, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, for all youths and Christians all over the world.🙏

OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, after a painting said to be miraculous, now found in the thirteenth century Augustinian church at Genazzano, near Rome, Italy. Over the centuries, devotions to Our Lady of Good Counsel grew among saints and Popes, to the extent that a reference to it was added to the Litany of Loreto and the devotion spread throughout the world.

On the Feast of St. Mark, April 25, 1467, at the close of a festival in Genazzano, Italy, a cloud descended upon an ancient 5th-century deteriorated church, dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel. When the cloud disappeared, the festive crowd found a small, fragile image of the Blessed Virgin and Child on a thin sheet of plaster. The painting is said to have hung in mid-air, suspended without support, floating, on a small ledge. This particular fresco is said to date to the time of the Apostles. It had long been venerated in Albania’s capital city, Scutari. Much of the church of Our Lady of Good Counsel was destroyed in World War II, but the image remained intact and in place. The miraculous image is still there today after more than 500 years. Countless miracles have been attributed to the prayerful intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Many pilgrims visit the church in Genazzano, and take part in the annual spring celebration, observed on April 25. Elsewhere in the world, the feast is celebrated April 26. Our Lady of Good Counsel is the Patron Saint of Albania, Missionary Sisters of Saint Peter Claver, Augustinian Province of Midwest US, Parañaque City, Philippines, Mother of Good Counsel Minor Seminary.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen🙏

PRAYER: O Holy Virgin, to whose feet we are led by our anxious uncertainty in our search for and attainment of what is true and good, invoking you by the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel, we beseech you to come to our assistance, when, along the road of this life, the darkness of error and of evil conspires towards our ruin by leading our minds and our hearts astray. O Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, enlighten the doubtful and the erring, that they be not seduced by the false appearances of good; render them steadfast in the face of the hostile and corrupting influences of passion and of sin. O Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us from your Divine Son a great love of virtue, and, in the hour of uncertainty and trial, the strength to embrace the way that leads to our salvation. If your hand sustains us, we shall walk unmolested along the path indicated to us by the life and words of Jesus, our Redeemer; and having followed freely and securely, even in the midst of this world’s strife, the Sun of Truth and Justice under your maternal Star, we shall come to the enjoyment of full and eternal peace with you in the haven of salvation ~ Amen🙏

SAINT PASCHASIUS RADBERTUS, ABBOT: St. Paschasius was an orphan abandoned on the steps of the convent of Notre-Dame de Soissons, France, at the beginning of the 9th century. He was adopted and raised by the nuns there and sent to the monks of St. Peter’s, Soissons, for his education. He became very fond of the abbess, Theodrara. Theodrara was sister of St Adalard of Corbie (C 751-827) and St Wala of Corbie (c 755–836), two monks (and both abbots prior to Paschasius) whom he admired greatly. Interested in the Latin classics, Paschasius spent a few years in the world before becoming a monk at Corbie, where he excelled in sacred studies. In 822, he was sent to found New Corbie in Westphalia and brought fame to the Corbie schools. He served as Master of Novices and later as Abbot for seven years, although he never became a priest.

For some years the Saint retired to the Abbey of Saint-Riquier and ended his life at Corbie about 865. His most well-known and influential work is an exposition on the nature of the Eucharist written around 831, entitled De Corpore et Sanguine Domini. Among his prolific works are commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew and the Book of Lamentations, the forty-fourth Psalm, biographies of St. Adalhard of Corbie and his brother Wala, and what is regarded as the first scientific monograph on the Holy Eucharist.

PRAYER: Lord, amid the things of this world, let us be wholeheartedly committed to heavenly things in imitation of the example of evangelical perfection You have given us in St. Paschasius the Abbot. Amen🙏
 
SAINT CLETUS AND MARCELLINUS, POPES AND MARTYRS: St. Cletus (1st c.) and St. Marcellinus (3rd c.) were both Romans, popes, and martyrs who ruled the Holy See during the terrible persecution of Christians at the hands of the Roman Empire. Both served as Popes two centuries apart. SAINT CLETUS.was a convert and disciple of St. Peter the Apostle who became the third Bishop of Rome for twelve years from 76 to 89 A.D., under the reigns of Roman Emperors Vespasian and Titus. His name appears in the Roman Canon of the Mass. While SAINT MARCELLINUS was the twenty-ninth Bishop of Rome from 296 to 304 A.D. during the infamous persecution of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, on the eve of the legalization of Christianity across the Empire. What they share is that their pontificates occurred during times of great torture and persecution for professing Christians under Roman rule. Reflecting on the lives of Popes Cletus and Marcellinus puts into perspective the trials the faithful now are facing. Statues of these two Popes of the early Church sit on opposite corners of the portico ceiling of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. They share a feast day on April 26th.

PRAYER: Lord, hear the prayers of the martyrs Sts. Cletus and Marcellinus and give us courage to bear witness to your truth. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever…Amen🙏

SAINT RAFAEL ARNÁIZ, RELIGIOUS: St. Rafael was born in Burgos, Spain (April 9, 1911- April 26, 1938).  He was a trappist monk and he is considered one of the greatest mystics of the twentieth century. He studied architecture in Madrid, but decided to cease his studies in favor of the religious life. This was often interrupted due to his struggle with diabetes and his being called for active service. But these never hindered his religious call and he did as best as he could to deal with his diabetes through his constant life of reflection and writing on spiritual subjects in his letters. Throughout 1937 and early 1938 his condition worsened and Rafael died from complications of diabetes on April 26, 1938. He was beatified on September  27, 1992 by Pope John Paul II and was canonized a saint of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009. St. Rafael Arnáiz is the Patron Saint of Diabetics and World Youth Day

“The angels and the saints rejoice at the sight of men on earth who struggle, suffer and labor for the love of Christ”. ~ Rafael Arnaiz Baron’s Quote

PRAYER: O God, you made Saint Rafael an outstanding disciple in the knowledge of Christ crucified. Helped by his example and prayers to love you above all things.
May our hearts be enlarged, so that we may run with inexpressible sweetness of love along the way of the cross and deserve to share the life and joy of the risen Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever… Amen🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS:* We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth during this Easter Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ John 14:1-6

“I am the way and the truth and the life”

“Jesus said to His disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus spoke to His disciples in the context of the last supper, on the evening before His crucifixion, the evening of His betrayal. His disciples needed reassurance. Jesus has announced that one of those at table will betray Him; He has been talking about His departure from this world. The tone of the evening is ominous. Jesus senses that His disciples are troubled and fearful. He calls on them to trust in God and to trust in Himself. Sometimes when times are bleak we have to trust in God and in Jesus that all will be well. Jesus goes on to explain why this trust in God is appropriate. Although Jesus is going away and leaving them, He promises to return to them, to come again and to take them to the Father’s house with its many dwelling places. Jesus speaks of eternal life as His Father’s house with many rooms or dwelling places and He promises to take His disciples with Him to that house of His Father so that where He, Jesus, is they may be also. This promise of dwelling with Jesus in the house of His Father does not only apply to life after death. In today’s Gospel according to John, Jesus invites His disciples, and all of us, to dwell in Him here and now, just as He is dwelling in the Father. There is a sense in which God the Father’s house with its many dwelling places is a present reality for all of us, in and through the church. The church is sometimes spoken of in the New Testament as a household. Here and now we are members of God’s household. We have the privilege of dwelling with Jesus in His Father’s house as His sons and daughters and as brothers and sisters of Jesus. To that extent, there is great continuity between our life now as believers and our life in heaven when our faith gives way to vision. Our present dwelling in and with Jesus in God’s household is a wonderful privilege. It also entails a calling. Jesus wants to dwell in us, as we dwell in Him. He wants His love to dwell in us so that we are clearly recognizable as His brothers and sisters and as sons and daughters of His Father and ours.

Today’s Gospel is popularly read at funeral Masses and it has brought and continues to bring consolation to people who are grieving the loss of loved ones. As the Lord Himself reassured His disciples that He would always be with them regardless of anything, and He would always be by their side. The Lord has not abandoned us, and through His Son, He would prepare for us all a place with Him in Heaven as the Lord Himself told His disciples just prior to His Passion, His suffering and death. That despite Him being persecuted and put to death, but not even death itself can separate us from God and His Love. And the resurrection of the Lord proved us all just exactly this case, that God Himself has conquered and destroyed death for us, and by offering Himself, He has built for us a new Bridge through His Cross and Resurrection, that became sure guarantee and firm passageway in the path that we have towards eternal life and salvation in God.

In our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul continued to speak to the Jewish people in Antioch in Pisidia in their synagogue. St. Paul spoke about the Messiah or Saviour Who had come into their midst, Jesus Christ, the Son of God incarnate in the flesh, Who has ministered, laboured and preached the Good News of God, the salvation and redemption that have finally come from the Lord Himself. Yet, as St. Paul recounted it to the Jews, those Jewish leaders and people in Jerusalem were swayed by their stubbornness and jealousy to reject the Lord and His teachings, and condemned Him to death after arresting Him, and leading Him to be crucified by the Romans under Pontius Pilate’s leadership. But in doing so, in truth, everything had happened as the Lord Himself willed it. In taking up His Cross, suffering and dying for us from His Cross, the Lord fulfilled everything that He has ever promised for us just as St. Paul explained it. We ourselves must understand this well, as Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross was the only path through which all of us mankind could be reconciled to God, our loving Father and Creator. Since at the very beginning of time and Creation, mankind chose to abandon the Lord for the sweet lies and falsehoods of Satan, and through their disobedience leading up to sin, they had been sundered from the fullness of God’s love and grace. That was why all of us had to experience suffering and death, because separated from God, there can be no life and true happiness for us. Yet, God did not despise us, but He has loved us all the same, and because of His ever enduring love, He reached out to us, helped and guided us, and ultimately He gave us all His beloved Son.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, each one of us are reminded that all of us have a sure and firm foundation in Christ, and we have been reminded of this fact, as we listened again of everything that He had done for us which culminated in the perfect sacrifice and offering that His Son, Our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, has offered on our behalf, as the perfect and worthy sacrifice that is the only one worthy in redeeming all of us from the many and unimaginably great burdens and bondage of our sins. Our Paschal Lamb, the Lamb of God, has taken away our many and innumerable sins, upon Himself and became the worthy sacrifice that opened the path for all of us towards the salvation and eternal life in our loving God, Father and Creator. May the Risen Lord, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour and King continue to guide and bless us in all things, and may He help each and every one of us to persevere through the challenges facing us in how we live our Christians lives with faith. May God in His infinite grace and mercy be with us and may He grant us His grace and continue to help us living our lives with faith and as Christ-like as possible and may we do our best so that we may become great inspiration and role models for others in how we live our lives with faith, now and always. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My loving Shepherd, You know all things. You know my heart and the difficulties I face in life. Give me the courage I need, dear Lord, to face every temptation to fear with confidence and trust in You. Bring clarity to my mind and peace to my troubled heart. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of Good Counsel and Saint Paschasius Radbertus; Saints Cletus and Marcellinus, Popes and Martyrs; and Saint Rafael Arnáiz Baron ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for His Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all and for vocations to priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful Fourth Week of Easter and relaxing weekend🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖

FOURTH WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 25, 2024

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter!

On this special Feast of St. Mark, we pray for his intercession and we continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this Easter season and always🙏

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

Pray “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 25, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | April 25, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 25, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 25, 2024 |

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

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday, April 25, 2024
Reading 1, First Peter 5:5-14
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17
Gospel, Mark 16:15-20

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF APRIL – MONTH OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST: The month of April is traditionally dedicated to devotion to Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches that the Blessed Sacrament is the real and living presence of Christ—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—received into our souls with every reception of Holy Communion. Our Eucharistic Lord is the source and summit of our Christian life, the ultimate proof of His infinite love for us.

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL – FOR THE ROLE OF WOMEN: We pray that the dignity and immense value of women be recognized in every culture, and for the end of discrimination that they experience in different parts of the world. 🙏

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been 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 the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen🙏

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

On this special feast day, as we continue to celebrate our risen Lord, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the Clergy and religious as they serve in the Lord’s Vineyard. We also pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved, we pray for the repose of their gentle souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus 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🙏

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

FEAST OF SAINT MARK THE EVANGELIST,  MARTYR: Today, we celebrate the feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist, one of Jesus Christ’s original 12 disciples and the author of the second Gospel, the Book of Mark in the Bible. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and St. Mark on this feast day, we humbly pray for the Church, the Clergy, Evangelists and all those who spread the Gospel.🙏

SAINT MARK THE EVANGELIST,  MARTYR: St. Mark the Evangelist (1st c.)  was one of Jesus Christ’s original 12 disciples and the author of the second Gospel, the Book of Mark in the Bible. He was born to Jewish parents living in Libya in North Africa, later settling in Cana of Galilee not far from Jerusalem. He was a member of the tribe of Levi. St. Mark is sometimes called John Mark in the New Testament. St. Mark was the son of that Mary who was proprietress of the Cenacle or “upper room”. His mother’s house or the upper room served as the meeting place for the first Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12). He was still a youth at the time of the Savior’s death. Both he and his mother, Mary, were highly esteemed in the early Church. During the years that followed, the rapidly maturing youth witnessed the growth of the infant Church in his mother’s Upper Room and became acquainted with its traditions. This knowledge he put to excellent use when compiling his Gospel.

According to tradition, St. Peter the Apostle was married to a relative of St. Mark’s father, and after St. Mark’s father died, St. Peter looked after him like his own son. He was baptized and instructed by St. Peter. An intimate friendship existed between Sts. Mark and Peter; he played the role of St. Peter’s companion, disciple, and interpreter. In about the year 42 A.D. he came to Rome with the Prince of the Apostles. There at the request of the faithful he wrote his Gospel about the year 50 A.D. Being a close disciple of St. Peter, the first Bishop of Rome, St. Mark wrote the Gospel in Greek addressed to Gentile converts to the Christian faith living in Rome. The Romans asked St. Mark to record St. Peter’s teachings and preaching about Our Lord Jesus Christ and pays special attention to the head of the Apostles. In this way the second Gospel is a record of the life of Jesus as seen through the eyes of the Prince of the Apostles. He chronicled what the first Pope witnessed.

St. Mark was associated with St. Paul and St. Barnabas (who was Mark’s cousin) and accompanied them on their missionary journey to Antioch and on their first missionary journey. But St. Mark was too immature for the hardships of this type of work and therefore left them at Perge in Pamphylia to return home. As the two apostles were preparing for their second missionary journey, St. Barnabas wanted to take his cousin with him. St. Paul, however, objected. Thereupon the two cousins undertook a missionary journey to Cyprus. Time healed the strained relations between Sts. Paul and Mark, and during the former’s first Roman captivity (61-63), St. Mark rendered St. Paul valuable service (Col. 4:10; Philem. 24), and the Apostle learned to appreciate him. When in chains the second time St. Paul requested St. Mark’s presence (2 Tim. 4:11). Little is known of St. Mark’s later life. Tradition ascribes to him the founding of the Church in Alexandria. It is certain that he died a martyr’s death as bishop of Alexandria in Egypt. He was martyred by the heathens in c. 68 A.D. by being dragged through the streets of Alexandria until his body was torn to pieces. His relics were transferred from Alexandria to Venice, where a worthy tomb was erected in St. Mark’s Cathedral.

The Gospel of St. Mark, the shortest of the four, is, above all, a Roman Gospel. It originated in Rome and is addressed to Roman, or shall we say, to Western Christianity. Another high merit is its chronological presentation of the life of Christ. For we should be deeply interested in the historical sequence of the events in our blessed Savior’s life. Furthermore, St. Mark was a skilled painter of word pictures. With one stroke he frequently enhances a familiar scene, shedding upon it new light. His Gospel is the “Gospel of Peter,” for he wrote it under the direction and with the aid of the prince of the apostles. “The Evangelist Mark is represented as a lion because he begins his Gospel in the wilderness, `The voice of one crying in the desert: Make ready the way of the Lord,’ or because he presents the Lord as the unconquered King.” St. Mark is the Patron Saint against impenitence; attorneys; barristers; captives; Egypt; glaziers; imprisoned people; insect bites; lions; notaries; prisoners; scrofulous diseases; stained glass workers; struma; Diocese of Venice, Florida; Venice, Italy.

PRAYER: Saint Mark, you were a friend of the Apostles and shared their commitment to spreading the faith. From your home in Heaven, may you strengthen all those who lack the courage to live the Gospel message in their own lives so they can witness it to others…. Amen🙏

God, You helped St. Mark the Evangelist with Your grace so that he could preach the Gospel. Grant that we may learn from his teaching to walk faithfully in the footsteps of Christ…Amen🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth during this Easter Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS.

Bible Readings for today, Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 16:15-20

“Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to every creature”

“Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Then the Lord Jesus, after He spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took His seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.”

In today’s Gospel reading, the risen Lord told all of the disciples after His Resurrection, that He would send His disciples to proclaim His Good News to all the corners of the world. They will all go forth and spread the words of truth to everyone they encounter, and they will perform miracles and wonders in His Name. They will have to endure sufferings, trials and challenges for His sake, and they will be persecuted, but only to be triumphant with God at the very end. God will remember them and will save them all. As the disciples went out to preach everywhere, the Lord was ‘working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it’. The risen Lord is with His disciples, working with them and confirming them. Just as the disciples, whenever we strive to be faithful to the Lord’s ways, whenever we seek to witness to Him, we can always be assured of the Lord’s confirming presence. We understand the Sacrament of Confirmation as the moment when we confirm our baptism. However, the more fundamental confirmation is the Lord confirming us as we strive every day to follow in His way. The Lord is always working with us to confirm, strengthen and support us in our efforts to answer His call in today’s world.

In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Peter, Peter assures the churches he is addressing that even though they are having to suffer for their faith, the Lord ‘will see that all is well again; He will confirm, strengthen and support you’. The Lord is with His struggling churches to keep them faithful to the end. The exhortation from the Prince of the Apostles assures us of the calling that God had made upon each one of us, His beloved people. We are all called to be the ones to proclaim the truth of God to each and every one we encountered in our lives. All of us are entrusted with this same mission that the Lord had given to His Church, and as members of that same Church, we are all part of this great effort in proclaiming the salvation and the love of God in our world today. As Christians, we must have that understanding and realisation that we are called to walk in the same path that St. Mark had once walked before.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, the first reading from the first letter of Peter and the Gospel reading from the Gospel of Mark have a theme in common. We are all reminded that as those who believe in God, as Christians, we are all called to commit ourselves to proclaim the Risen Lord in our every actions, words and dealings throughout life. We are all presented with the truth and the teachings of the Lord which had been preserved and handed down to us from the Apostles and the many other disciples like St. Mark, who had faithfully kept the Christian faith alive and burning well even throughout the most difficult and challenging moments in the history of the Church. Let us all therefore strive to do our best to proclaim the Risen Lord, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, following the examples of St. Mark and the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord. May all of us do our best to proclaim Him and His truth, His love and mercy to the whole world through our own words, actions and deeds. May God in His infinite grace and mercy be with us all and may He grant us His grace and bless our actions and strengthen each and every one of us so that we may always ever be courageous to do His will, and be His witnesses wherever we are, and in whatever opportunities we receive. St. Mark the Evangelist, Holy Servant of God, devoted to the end, pray for us all sinners. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

Glorious Lord Jesus, You gave Your followers the great mission to preach Your Gospel to the ends of the world. I thank You for the ways that Saint Mark responded to Your inspiration and was used in such a powerful way. Please use me, dear Lord, as an instrument of Your grace so that I can share in the mission You have given to the Church. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Mark the Evangelist ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of His Son our Lord Jesus Christ and praying for us all as we celebrate the resurrection of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Have a blessed, safe, joyous and grace-filled Fourth Week of Easter🙏
   
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖

FOURTH WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 24, 2024

Greetings beloved family and Happy Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter!

We continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this Easter season and always🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN | April 24, 2024” |

Pray “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 24, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | April 24, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 24, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 24, 2024 |

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

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 12:24-13:5
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
Gospel, John 12:44-50

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF APRIL – MONTH OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST: The month of April is traditionally dedicated to devotion to Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches that the Blessed Sacrament is the real and living presence of Christ—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—received into our souls with every reception of Holy Communion. Our Eucharistic Lord is the source and summit of our Christian life, the ultimate proof of His infinite love for us.

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL – FOR THE ROLE OF WOMEN: We pray that the dignity and immense value of women be recognized in every culture, and for the end of discrimination that they experience in different parts of the world. 🙏

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been 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 the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen🙏

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

On this special feast day, as we continue to celebrate our risen Lord, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the Clergy and religious as they serve in the Lord’s Vineyard. We also pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved, we pray for the repose of their gentle souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus 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🙏

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

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT FIDELIS OF SIGMARINGEN, PRIEST AND MARTYR; SAINT MARY EUPHRASIA PELLETIER; SAINT BENEDETTO (BENEDICT) MENNI, PRIEST; SAINT WILFRID, BISHOP OF YORK AND SAINT MARY OF CLEOPHAS (MARY OF CLOPAS) ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 24TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Fidelis Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr; St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier; St Benedetto (Benedict) Menni; St. Wilfrid, Bishop of York and St. Mary of Cleophas. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this Divine Mercy Sunday, we humbly pray for the sick, we particularly pray for those with mental illness and those who are terminally ill and dying. May God in His infinite grace and mercy grant them His divine healing and intervention. We also pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners and for Christians all over the world. We pray for the poor and the needy and safety of all travellers, for God’s guidance and protection🙏

SAINT FIDELIS OF SIGMARINGEN, PRIEST AND MARTYR: St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1577-1622) was born at Sigmaringen in Swabia in 1577. He was born with the name Mark Rey in what is today Germany. He studied and taught law. He practiced at first as a lawyer and so took to heart the cause of the needy and became known for his charity, austerities, and great devotion to God. He gained a reputation for being “the poor man’s lawyer” because of his concern for the helpless. He eventually left his profession to join the Capuchin Friars Minor and become a Capuchin Franciscan friar and priest, taking the religious name “Fidelis,” meaning “faithful.” He was sent by the Holy See to the Grisons in order to bring back the inhabitants of this canton from Protestantism to the Catholic faith. His great influence earned him enemies. His work as a friar was fraught with danger. He lived during the Counter-Reformation, a time of great religious, cultural, and political upheaval in Western Europe. He zealously defended the teaching of the Catholic Church against the Protestant heretics. He wrote many pamphlets against Calvinism and Zwinglianism, and even traveled to Switzerland to preach against the Calvinists both in the pulpits and the public square. His untiring efforts to bring souls back to the Church was so successful that he became a threat to the heretic preachers. One day his preaching provoked a mob that confronted him and demanded he renounce his Catholic faith upon pain of death. He replied, “I came to extirpate heresy, not to embrace it,” after which he was bludgeoned to death. He was murdered at Seewis on April 24, 1622. Many miracles led to his canonization in the following century. St. Fidelis’ feast day is April 24.

PRAYER: O God, who were pleased to award the palm of martyrdom to Saint Fidelis as, burning with love for you, he propagated the faith, grant, we pray, through his intercession, that, grounded in charity, we may merit to know with him the power of the Resurrection of Christ. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever… Amen🙏

SAINT MARY EUPHRASIA PELLETIER: St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (1796-1868), was born Rose Virginie Pelletier. She was foundress of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, more commonly known as Sisters of the Good Shepherd, dedicated to work of supporting and promoting the welfare of women and girls experiencing poverty and marginalisation. She’s Patron Saint of travellers. On May 2, 1940, Pope Pius XII raised to the ultimate honors of the altar a most remarkable woman, Mother Mary Euphrasia Pelletier. As the solemn Te Deum swelled in gladness through the Vatican Basilica, its joyous strains were echoed and reechoed in quiet chapels found in virtually all the large cities of the world. Almost a hundred thousand women and girls and over ten thousand white-robed Sisters, in three hundred and fifty homes of charity, rejoiced with their Mother, the new Saint. For Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier is the Foundress and first General Superior of the large Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd of Angers, and one of the great sociologists of the ages. Rose Virginia Pelletier was born of pious parents on July 31, 1796 on the island of Noirmoutiers, during the terrible period of the French Revolution. So it was that her life began as a daughter of the suffering faith of her beloved France. Because of the suppression and expulsion of religious Orders, the education of the little girl had to be undertaken by her busy mother. At her knees Rose Virginia learned of God and His service. In 1814 she entered the Order of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge at Tours. After ten months as a postulant in this historic community at Tours, Rose Virginia received the habit and entered upon her life as a novice in September, 1815. For two years she remained in the novitiate, being formed to the religious life, studying and absorbing the history and work of her Order. Listening to the life of a Saint one day, she heard that he quickly attained sanctity by his perfect obedience. “Obedience, then,” reflected the young novice, “must be the best means to become holy. If only I might take the vow of obedience at once!” Sister Mary Euphrasia consulted her superiors, and was permitted to take a private vow of obedience. In 1817 she was professed, making then her first public vows.

In a few years her exceptional qualifications became so apparent to all that after having been Mistress of penitents, she was elected Superior of the house. A project which had been in her mind for a long time was then made a reality. She had found in many of the penitents a real attraction for the religious life, with no desire to return to the world after their conversion. Where could they go? It was very difficult, virtually impossible, to find a congregation suitable for them or willing to accept them. So Mother Euphrasia inaugurated a community called the Magdalene Sisters. She adapted the rule of Saint Teresa, drew up a set of Constitutions, and erected the first community of Magdalenes in the house at Tours. One of the greatest consolations Mother Euphrasia enjoyed in life was the sanctity attained by so many of these religious, bound by vows to a life of prayer and penance. During the thirty years she was Superior General, Mother Euphrasia sent out her Sisters from their mother house at Angers to found one hundred and ten houses in every land beneath the sun — Sisters inflamed with her own zeal, trained at her hands. She died at Angers in her seventy-second year, having welcomed death with the faith and serenity which marked her entire life. Patron Saint of travelers.

PRAYER: Lord, by Your grace, we are made one in mind and heart. Give us a love for what You command and a longing for what You promise, so that, amid this world’s changes, our hearts may be one with each other and be set on the world of lasting joy. May the prayers of St Mary Euphrasia on our behalf, help us to achieve holy love for all Your children and our brothers.  Through Jesus Christ our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever… Amen🙏

SAINT BENEDETTO (BENEDICT) MENNI, PRIEST: St. Benedetto (Benedict) Menni (1841-1914) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest. He was a professed member of the Hospitallers of Saint John of God and he went on to establish his own religious congregation known as the Hospitaller Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St. Benedict was a faithful follower of Saint John of God and, through his words and deeds, was a Herald of the Gospel of Mercy and a new Prophet of Hospitality. He was a man passionate about God and humanity, who dedicated his entire life to the practice of Hospitality in an effort to make the message of the Good Samaritan a reality. Brothers of St. John of God care for the sick and those in need. For this reason, from the very beginning, the Hospitaller Order was recognized by the Church as a Congregation of religious brothers with exception of not more than one priest in each community acting as chaplain. Saint Benedetto Menni was one exception, being an ordained priest in Rome on October 14, 1860. In those years, the Spanish branch of the Hospitallers Order died away as a consequence of some Masonic laws issued in Portugal in 1834 and in Spain in 1835. Saint Benedict was sent to Barcelona on April 6, 1867, to restore the Hospitaller Order in these countries. After a long struggle, oftentimes risky, he was not only able to gather many vocations—almost a thousand from 1867 to 1903—but also founded in Spain, Portugal and Mexico, 22 hospitals for every kind of sickness, especially for mental patients and handicapped children. Those conditions were the most neglected by the public health care at that time.

St. Benedict also founded a female branch of the Order, the Hospitaller Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Today, the Sisters are present in 20 countries with almost 80 communities. What is amazing in the life work of Saint Menni is the number and complexity of the undertakings he faced; but, even more so for their validity, tested for more than a century. The secret lies in his true, heroic detachment by which he always considered himself a docile instrument in the hands of God, without giving room for his personal ambitions or human plans. Sy. Benedict is the Patron Saint of Sisters Hospitaller of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; People with mental health issues; the sick and Volunteers.

Reflection: Humanization and evangelization are challenges to the new millennium. St Benedict Menni recalls to us and enlightens the words of our Lord, “I was sick and you visited me… Come, O blessed of my Father”

PRAYER: Oh God, good and compassionate Father who called and sent St Benedict (Benito) Menni to announce your gospel of mercy by word and work, give us, through his intercession, the graces that we ask for, so that by following his example we may love you above all things and always serve our needy and sick brothers and sisters in all the work we do We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord… Amen🙏

SAINT WILFRID, BISHOP OF YORK: St. Wilfrid (634-709) was a Northumbrian of noble birth. He studied at Lindisfarne and Canterbury and became infected with a love both for learning and the monastic life. When quite a young man he traveled to Canterbury and then to Rome. On his return, he founded monasteries at Ripon and Stamford, and became prominent as the successful protagonist of the Roman customs at the Synod of Whitby, 664 A.D. He was then made Bishop of York, and went to France to be consecrated. In his absence Chad was consecrated and made Bishop of York in his place, and held the see for four years. During this time Wilfrid founded a monastery at Oundle and acted as bishop in Mercia. He was then installed at York by Archbishop Theodore, and ruled the see for nine years. He also founded the Abbey of Hexham. He managed to gain the ill-will of Egfrith, King of Northumbria, and Archbishop Theodore, who divided his diocese in four parts without his knowledge or consent. St. Wilfrid journeyed to Rome, and his appeal was successful, but on his return to Northumbria he was accused of having forged the pope’s bull, and was thrown into prison. After his release he went to Sussex, and for five years preached the Gospel to its pagan inhabitants. When he went there the country was suffering from famine, the result of three years’ drought, and its inhabitants were drowning themselves in despair. Wilfrid gained their goodwill by teaching them to fish. “By this benefit the bishop gained the affections of them all, and they began more readily to hope for heavenly blessings, since by his help they had already received those which are temporal.” His labors seem to have been abundantly successful, and he added to his success by establishing a monastery at Selsey. Archbishop Theodore, now on his deathbed, became reconciled to Wilfrid, and even wished to nominate him as his successor in the See of Canterbury. This, however, Wilfrid refused, but used Theodore’s good offices to secure his return to Northumbria.

After a few years St. Wilfrid’s enemies seem to have made his position so difficult that he retired to Mercia, and when St. Chad died he succeeded to his position as Bishop of Lichfield, and labored in that diocese for ten years. He was recalled to be tried by a Northumbrian council of nobles and bishops, was once more condemned, and once more appealed to Rome. Once again his appeal was successful, and this time the Roman judgment was accepted in Northumbria. The few remaining years of his life were spent in comparative retirement, principally at Hexham and Ripon. His last public act was the consecration of Evesham Abbey; he died on his way home at his monastery at Oundle in the year 709, and was buried at Ripon. St. Wilfrid was one of the most versatile and accomplished men of his own or any other age. He was a great builder, a lover of learning, and a musician; he knew how to create splendid effects through art and through religious ceremonial. He was also a founder and a builder in men as well as stones. He was, in fact, a great creative artist. St. Wilfrid is the Patron Saint of Middlesbrough, England; diocese of Ripon, England.

St. Wilfrid, Bishop of York ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT MARY OF CLEOPHAS (MARY OF CLOPAS): St. Mary of Cleophas, Mother of St. James the Less and Joseph, wife of Cleophas (or Clopas or Alpheus). She was one of the “Three Marys” who served Jesus and was present at the Crucifixion , and accompanied Mary Magdalen to the tomb of Christ. “And there were standing by the cross of Jesus His mother and His mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen.” How should we understand “His mother’s sister,” literally, as in having the same parents, or in the same sense that Jesus’s “brothers” are to be understood as close relatives? The short answer is that Mary of Cleophas is probably the Blessed Virgin’s sister-in-law. Mary of Cleophas may have had a previous husband named Alpheus, or this Alpheus may have been Cleophas. The Blessed Virgin Mary, of course, only had one husband (Joseph) and remained a virgin. The long answer may be found here.

There is also a theory that Mary might have been the unnamed disciple on the road to Emmaus. Tradition reports that she went to Spain as a missionary. Mary reportedly died at Ciudad Rodrigo. Another tradition states that she went to France with St. Lazarus and his sisters.

St. Mary of Cleophas ~ Pray for us 🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth during this Easter Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ John 12:44-50

“I came into the world as light”

“Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”

In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus speaks to His disciples and all the other people who were following Him regarding what He had been telling them, and how He is truly the Son of God Incarnate, referring to God as His own Father, the Father Who is in Heaven. This was something that was taboo and forbidden among the Jewish people and tradition at that time, as God was seen as Almighty and incomparable, one and without equal, and for One like Jesus to claim to be the Son of God and calling God as His Father was akin to proclaiming blasphemy against God. However, this was because those who thought this way refused to accept the fact that there can be new revelation that was not found in the books of the Law or the Prophets. It was precisely what the Lord did, in revealing to everyone the fullness of God’s truth. In truth, the Lord was telling everyone that God’s promises had indeed come into this world, and all had been perfectly fulfilled and manifested in Himself, in the Son and Word of God incarnate in the flesh as the Son of Man, through Whom God’s will had been made clear to us and by Whose Presence the love of God had been made tangible and approachable by us. Through His Son, the Lord has made His salvation and love manifested and real before us, and He showed it all to us through the Passion of our Lord and Saviour, as He suffered most grievously and endured a most painful death on the Cross, all for the sake of our salvation. Through Him, we have seen the Light and Hope of the Lord and we are all called to follow Him, embracing His salvation and love, as we are all expected to do as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people.

In our first reading today, the Holy Spirit prompts the church in Antioch to send two of their leading and most gifted members on mission, St. Paul and St. Barnabas. There might have been those in the church of Antioch at the time who said, ‘no, we can’t let two such key people leave. They are needed here’. As communities, as individuals, there is a natural temptation to hold on to what we have. We resist deliberately making ourselves poorer. Yet, that is what the Holy Spirit was asking the church in Antioch to do, to make itself poorer, to let go of two of its greatest assets, so that those who had never heard the Gospel might be brought to Christ. The efforts made by the Apostles especially by those of St. Paul and St. Barnabas were crucial in extending the reach of the Church and welcoming many more converts from among the non-Jewish community, or the Gentiles. The Church kept on growing and the faith kept on spreading despite the challenges and persecutions that they faced along the way. Their efforts and works among the Greeks and others led to many embracing the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Master, leaving behind their old pagan idols and ways. The Apostles entrusted the mission of the conversion and evangelisation of the Gentiles to those of St. Paul and St. Barnabas, as well as their companions, and this was the foundation of the many missionary journeys that St. Paul would undertake for the spreading of the Good News of the Gospel. St. Paul went to many places, guided by the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the Risen Lord and managed to gain many new believers, who were convinced of the truth of Christ and who were also inspired by the great examples shown by the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord, the early Christians who lived in great harmony and love for one another, showing the love of God manifested in their actions, words and deeds, in all of their interactions. The ways of the Holy Spirit today in the church are probably not very different from the ways of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the church. The Spirit prompts us to take the way of Jesus, which is the way of self-emptying so that others might have life. In his second letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul declared, ‘you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich’. Our Lord Jesus Christ continues to speak to each of us today through the Holy Spirit. A good way to begin our prayer is by saying the prayer of the young Samuel in the Jewish Scriptures, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening’.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of our calling as Christians, that is as all those who have accepted and embraced the Lord’s call, and have faith in Him, to be truly committed to the missions and the vocation which the Lord had entrusted to each and every one of us, in every unique ministries and contributions that each one of us can give to help in the mission of the Church. God has entrusted to all of us the fate of our fellow brothers and sisters, many of whom had not yet known Him, and many of whom were still under the sway and power of sin, living in the darkness of sin and evil, not being aware of the Light, Hope and truth that God alone can bring into our midst. That is why we have to be the good and faithful bearers of Christ’s Light in our world today. Let us therefore by the examples showed by the faithful servants of God, the many saints and martyrs who have gone before us, especially that of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, St. Stephen and all the Saints we celebrate today. Let us all be inspired by their trust and faith in the Lord, and their humility and willingness to allow the Lord to lead them in the right path, as they carried out their ministry faithfully. Let us all be inspired and strengthened by them, be courageous and strong in our faith through their courage and dedication to God. May the Lord continue to help and guide us all in our journey so that by everything that He has provided unto us, we may continue to persevere in our journey and trials of faith, throughout all these moments in life. Let us all commit ourselves ever more thoroughly and courageously to be the worthy disciples and followers of Our Lord and God. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, be with us all and may He bless us all in our every good endeavours, efforts and works, all for His greater glory, now and always, forevermore. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My passionate Lord, You spoke long ago about Your oneness with the Father in Heaven. You speak again, today, to me, about this glorious truth. Draw me in, dear Lord, not only to the great mystery of Your oneness with the Father but also to the mystery of Your calling to me to share in Your life. I accept this invitation and pray that I become more fully one with You, the Father and the Holy Spirit. Most Holy Trinity, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Fidelis Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr; St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier; St Benedetto (Benedict) Menni; St. Wilfrid, Bishop of York and St. Mary of Cleophas ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of His Son our Lord Jesus Christ and for the gift of this day and praying for His Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all, for vocations to priesthood and consecrated life. Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled and fruitful Fourth Week of Easter 🙏

Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖

THIRD WEEK OF EASTER

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: APRIL 17, 2024

Greetings, beloved family and Happy Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter!

We continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this Easter season and always🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN | April 17, 2024” |

Pray “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 17, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | April 17, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 17, 2024 |

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | April 17, 2024 |

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Reading 1, Acts 8:1-8
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7
Gospel, John 6:35-40

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF APRIL – MONTH OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST: The month of April is traditionally dedicated to devotion to Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches that the Blessed Sacrament is the real and living presence of Christ—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—received into our souls with every reception of Holy Communion. Our Eucharistic Lord is the source and summit of our Christian life, the ultimate proof of His infinite love for us.

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL – FOR THE ROLE OF WOMEN: We pray that the dignity and immense value of women be recognized in every culture, and for the end of discrimination that they experience in different parts of the world. 🙏

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been 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 the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen🙏

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

On this special feast day, as we continue to celebrate our risen Lord, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the Clergy and religious as they serve in the Lord’s Vineyard. We also pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved, we pray for the repose of their gentle souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus 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🙏

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

As we continue to rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Anicetus, Pope, Martyr; Saint Robert of Molesmes, Abbot and Saint Donan, Missionary and Priest. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners and for Christians all over the world, especially during these incredibly challenging times.

O God, who open wide the gates of the heavenly Kingdom to those reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, pour out on your servants an increase of the grace you have bestowed, that, having been purged of all sins, they may lack nothing that in your kindness you have promised. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever… Amen🙏

SAINT ANICETUS, POPE, MARTYR: St. Anicetus was a Syrian from Emesa (modern-day Homs). He became pope about 155 to his death in April 168. He was St. Peter’s tenth successor who defended the Church against the heresies of Valentine and Marcion, actively opposed Marcionism and Gnosticism. He suffered tribulations. His pontificate saw the appearance of the controversy between East and West over the date of Easter. St. Polycarp of Smyrna, a disciple of John, is reported to have visited him in Rome to discuss the Easter controversy. Polycarp and his Church of Smyrna celebrated the crucifixion on the fourteenth day of Nisan, which coincides with Pesach (or Passover) regardless of which day of the week upon this date fell, while the Roman Church celebrated Easter on Sunday—the weekday of Jesus’s resurrection. The two did not agree on a common date, but Anicetus conceded to Polycarp and the Church of Smyrna the ability to retain the date to which they were accustomed. The controversy was to grow heated in the following centuries.

The Christian historian Hegesippus also visited Rome during Anicetus’s pontificate. This visit is often cited as a sign of the early importance of the Roman See. St. Anicetus actively opposed the Gnostics and Marcionism. The Liber Pontificalis records that Anicetus decreed that priests are not allowed to have long hair (perhaps because the Gnostics wore long hair). According to church tradition, Anicetus suffered martyrdom during the reign of Emperor Lucius Verus, but there are no historical grounds for this account. April 16, 17 and 20 April are all cited as the date of his death.  St. Anicetus died in April of 168 and he was buried in the cemetery of Callistus.

Saint Anicetus, Pope and Martyr ~ Pray for us🙏

SAINT ROBERT OF MOLESMES, ABBOT: St. Robert was born of noble parents in France about 1024, Robert became a Benedictine at Moutier-la-Celle when he was fifteen. Such was the religious dedication of the young man that when he had completed his novitiate, he was named Prior. Later, he was made Abbot of St. Michael of Tonnere. Yet something was missing in Robert’s life. He was desperately trying, but not succeeding, in promoting the observance of a stricter interpretation of the Benedictine Rule. Finally, about 1075, he established a monastery at Molesmes in Burgundy, but here too he did not succeed in his great quest—at least not initially.

In 1098, impelled by the love of God, and his great faith in the Rule of St. Benedict. Robert took St. Alberic, St. Stephen Harding, and others of his monks and traveled to the forest of Citeaux where he started over again. This time, he was successful—in eighteen months he was able to leave the rule of the monastery in the hands of Alberic and Stephen. This was the beginning of the Cistercian movement, and its greatest representative, St. Bernard, was in the near future to come to Citeaux and make it the center of the Christian world of that time. St. Robert was then able to return to Molesmes and be successful there too with his reform. This great lover of God and founder of a dedicated Order died on March 21, 1111, and was canonized in 1222.

PRAYER: Lord, amid the things of this world, let us be wholeheartedly committed to heavenly things in imitation of the example of evangelical perfection You have given us in St. Robert the Abbot. Amen🙏
 

SAINT DONAN, MISSIONARY AND PRIEST: St. Donan (d. 617 A.D.), also known as St. Donnán of Eigg, was a prominent Celtic missionary and Gaelic priest. Little is known of his life except that he was likely an Irishman who traveled as a missionary throughout Galloway and northward along the west coast of Scotland. He is thought to have been a contemporary of St. Columba. Donan formed a religious community on the tiny northwest island of Eigg in Scotland. The community grew to fifty-two men.

One year, after celebrating the Easter Vigil Mass, they were unexpectedly attacked and martyred either by pirates or a band of Viking raiders. Tradition holds that the community was gathered together and killed in the refectory on the night of April 17, 617. The martyrdom of Christian missionaries at this time was rare, leading many to suspect the attack was instigated by a malicious local queen who viewed St. Donan and his monks as a threat to her power. His feast day is April 17.

Saint Donan, Missionary and Priest ~ Pray for us🙏

PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth during this Easter Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Bible Readings for today, Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ John 6:35-40

“This is the will of my Father, that all who see the Son may have eternal life”

“Jesus said to the crowds, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. But I told you that although you have seen me, you do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from Heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what He gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I shall raise Him on the last day.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says, ‘whoever comes to me I shall not turn away’. It is a statement that reveals the welcoming nature of the Lord’s presence. Those who come to Him will find a welcome from Him. The opening invitation of Jesus in this Gospel is ‘Come and see’. He invites people to come to Him and He promises those who do so that He will never turn them away. In this He is being true to God’s will which is, according to the Gospel reading, that all who see the Son and believe in Him shall have eternal life’. It is as the source of life, as the one who can satisfy our deepest hungers and thirsts, that Jesus invites people to come to Him, while assuring them that they will never be turned away if they do come. Through the sharing of His Most Precious Body and Blood, the Lord instituted the Eucharist to us, and bringing us together through His sacrifice, suffering and death on the Cross, and ultimately His Resurrection, into the Communion of the faithful, uniting all of us into His Body, the Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. That is why the Eucharist we receive, which we believe is truly the Real Presence of the Lord in His Most Precious Body and Blood, is called Holy Communion, and only those who have lived and shared faithfully the full teachings of our Christian faith can partake in this most sacred gift that the Lord has granted to all of us. Through this Communion, uniting all of us in the Church, both those in this world, all of us, and all those who had gone before us, the Lord has shown us that He has always been with us, and He never abandoned us at all, even in our darkest moments and challenging times.

In our first reading, it is said of Saul, the future St. Paul, that he worked for the total destruction of the church. Saul, who was a young Pharisee was filled with great and fiery zeal, in persecuting, arresting and torturing the followers of the Lord, rejudices and wickedness was shown in the actions of the young Saul. Saul sought to destroy all who responded to the welcoming invitation of Jesus. There will always be forces in our world that are hostile to our coming to Jesus. Despite all the hardships and challenges faced by the followers of the Lord, most of them remained firm in their faith and endured faithfully the sufferings that they had faced. The Lord has also kept them in His providence and protection, leading them through their difficult times and sending them encouragement and strength to persevere through those challenges. He Himself has foretold all these to His disciples and followers, warning all of them that if the world had opposed, persecuted and treated Him as such, then His disciples and followers must also be prepared that they would be treated in a similar way as well. But He assured them that He would give them guidance and strength, and through the Holy Spirit that He sent to His Church, despite the trials and challenges that His followers had to face, but the Church still thrived and grew rapidly throughout those early years. Not only that, but even Saul himself was converted, and called to become one of the Lord’s greatest servants, as St. Paul the Apostle later in his life. The later experience of Saul suggests that not only does the Lord welcome those who come to Him but He seeks out those who are hostile to Him. Saul eventually came to Jesus because Jesus went after Him. The Lord who welcomes us when we come to Him also seeks us out when we walk away from Him. When we don’t come to Him, He comes after us, not in anger but in love. He is always driven by God the Father’s will that all should see the Son and believe in Him and so have eternal life.

According to today’s first reading, Philip preaches the Gospel in Samaria and the people there unite in welcoming the message Philip preached. In Luke’s first volume, Jesus had attempted to preach the Gospel to a Samaritan village but they rejected Jesus because He was heading for Jerusalem. Now the risen Lord, through Philip, preaches the Gospel to the Samaritans and this time they welcome the Gospel. The Lord continues to offer the Gospel even to those who have rejected it. Even though we may turn from the Lord at times, He never turns from us. This is in keeping with what Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading, ‘Whoever comes to me I shall never turn away’. Easter celebrates the faithfulness of God to His Son Jesus, and the faithfulness of Jesus to all of us. The Lord’s faithfulness encourages us to keep turning back to Him, to keep coming to Him, even after we have turned away from him. Even when we fail to respond to His coming, He remains for us the bread of life and He continues to promise that if we come to Him we will never hunger and if we believe in Him we will never thirst.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, each and every one of us are reminded again today that as Christians all of us are always facing hardships, trials and struggles, challenges and difficulties amidst the lives and the journey that we embark on in this world. However, we must not easily lose hope and we must remain firm in our faith in the Lord, because it is in Him alone we can find the hope, strength and consolation, as well as the assurance of eternal life and true joy and glory. We must always strengthen our faith and trust in the Lord, wholeheartedly believing that He, our Lord and Saviour, the Bread of Life, has the power to help us and to raise us up with Him, and that He will always be with us, never abandoning us even in our darkest and most difficult moments. As we are reminded of this fact today, and as we continue progressing through this most holy and blessed season of Easter, let us all therefore do our part as the Christian faithful, the members of God’s own Body, the Church of God, to be evangelising and missionary disciples, righteous and good, faithful and just in all of our works, actions and deeds. Let us all be good role models and examples of our faith in our every words and actions, as well as in all of our interactions with one another. May the Risen Lord, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, continue to bless and guide us all, and strengthen us so that we may persevere faithfully and continue to commit ourselves to His path, much as how our early Christian predecessors had done. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and be with His Church always, and bless its every works and good efforts and may He bless each and every one of us and strengthen us all in our every day living, in living our lives with faith from now on, that we may inspire many others to follow the Lord and to be reconciled with God, like the way we do. Amen🙏

Let us pray:

My ever-present Lord, I thank You profoundly for the way You come to me in the Most Holy Eucharist. I thank You for Your divine presence and glory. Help me to see beyond the veil of the appearance of bread and wine so that I can see more clearly Your divinity. As I see Your divine presence, dear Lord, help me to profess my belief in You with greater certitude and faith. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Anicetus, Pope, Martyr; Saint Robert of Molesmes, Abbot and Saint Donan, Missionary and Priest ~ Pray for us🙏

Thanking God for the gift of His Son our Lord Jesus Christ and praying for us all as we celebrate the resurrection of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Have a blessed, safe, joyous and grace-filled Third Week of Easter🙏
   
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖