THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT (YEAR B)
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ MARCH 3, 2024
SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ MARCH 3, 2024
Greetings beloved family and Happy Third Sunday of Lent! May God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this season of our Lenten journeyš
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | March 3, 2024 on EWTN” |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | March 3, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” | March 3, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | March 3, 2024 |
Pray “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | March 3, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUALš¹JOYFULš¹LUMINOUSš¹SORROWFULš¹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |
Today’s Bible Readings: Third Sunday of Lent, Year B | March 3, 2024
Reading 1,Ā Exodus 20:1-17
Responsorial Psalm,Ā Psalms 19:8, 9, 10, 11
Reading 2,Ā First Corinthians 1:22-25
Gospel,Ā John 2:13-25
[Please Note: When the Scrutinies are used at Mass, the reflection and readings for Year A may be used in place of this one.]
40 Days in the Desert. A Lenten journey with our Lord | Third Sunday of Lent: Living Water | https://mycatholic.life/books/40-days-in-the-desert-a-lenten-journey-with-our-lord/third-sunday-of-lent-living-water/
A PRAYER TO WALK HUMBLY THROUGH LENT: Father, InĀ Micah 6:8, You say, āO people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.ā Today we choose to walk humbly with You. We choose to live by YourĀ Holy SpiritĀ and to follow Your lead. Help us to hear You clearly, for we do not want to walk by pride or self-sufficiency, we want to walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen š
God of goodness and mercy, hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day. Amenš
LENTEN FAST AND ABSTINENCE (Lenten Fast and Abstinence regulations from the USCCB): Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.
For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards
Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the āpaschal fastā to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MARCH: MONTH OF SAINT JOSEPH: āHis was the title of father of the Son of God, because he was the Spouse of Mary, ever Virgin. He was our Lordās father, because Jesus ever yielded to him the obedience of a son. He was our Lordās father, because to him were entrusted, and by him were faithfully fulfilled, the duties of a father, in protecting Him, giving Him a home, sustaining and rearing Him, and providing Him with a tradeāĀ
THE POPEāS MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH – For the new Martyrs: We pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world inflame the Church with their courage and missionary enthusiasm.
During this Liturgical season of Lent, we continue to meditate on the mystery of Jesus’ sufferings which culminated in His death on the Cross for the redemption of mankind.
On this special feast day, as we continue our Lenten journey, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to remember our beloved, we pray for the repose of their gentle souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christā¦ Amen š āļøšÆāļøšÆāļøšÆ
During this season of Lent, please let us all continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen š
PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amenš
A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen š
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
Bible Readings for today, Third Sunday of Lent, Year B | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030324-YearB.cfm
Gospel Reading ~ John 2:13ā25
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”
“Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, āTake these out of here, and stop making my Fatherās house a marketplace.ā His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, āWhat sign can you show us for doing this?ā Jesus answered and said to them, āDestroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.ā The Jews said, āThis temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?ā But he was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken. While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.”
In todayās Gospel reading, Jesus launches an attack on the most sacred institution of the Jewish faith, the Temple in Jerusalem. Our Lord Jesus chased out the merchants and the money changers doing their businesses at the courtyard of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. The Temple officials turned a blind eye to the wicked things that those merchants and money changers had done. They wickedly overcharged their customers, charging those pilgrims a premium for their services and goods, earning lots of profits and benefitting therefore from othersā sufferings. It was this wickedness and sin against God and their fellow mankind which the Lord Jesus was particularly angry against, as He told it all loudly for all to hear, not to turn His Fatherās House into a āden of robbersā, referring to all those corrupt and unscrupulous merchants and money changers, and the Temple officials who grew rich out of all those wicked actions. As a Jew, Jesus would have had a love for the Temple. In todayās Gospel reading, Jesus refers to it as āmy Fatherās houseā. This was the place where God, the Father of Jesus, wanted people to feel at home, all people, not just Jews. Later on in this Gospel of John, Jesus would say, āIn my Fatherās house there are many roomsā. Jesus was giving us here an image of heaven which suggested the wide and welcoming love of God, calling people to be at home in his presence. If the Temple was God the Fatherās house on earth, it needed to be a place where all felt welcome, regardless of their nationality, their social status, their background or way of life. Jesus clearly saw that what was going on in the courtyard of the Temple, the buying and selling of animals for sacrifice, the changing of foreign coinage for a coinage acceptable within the Temple, was cutting across what the Temple was meant to be as Godās welcoming house on earth. It was serving the interests of the people in charge of the Temple, rather than the interests of all who were seeking God. The energy Jesus displayed in the Temple sprung from the conviction that all was far from well in his Fatherās house. We would all feel moved to action if the home of our parents was being undermined in some way. It was love for God his Father and for all those whom God loved that drove Jesus to do what he did in the Temple that day. Love is not always something soft and gentle. Love can drive people to disturb those who need disturbing. Jesus disturbed the peace of the Temple that day because He could see that this was not Godās peace, the peace which causes all people to flourish as human beings. The risen Lord continues to disturb false peace today. Just as the Temple was to be the earthly expression of Godās heavenly house, the church, the community of believers, is to be the living expression in this world of the kingdom of God. When the church fails to live up to this calling, the Lord will work passionately to purify and renew it. The churchās identity is to be Godās many roomed house today, not just the physical building we call church, but the community of believers. The church is to be not so much a place but a communal space where all can feel at home in the welcoming embrace of Godās unconditional love, and in the strength of that embrace become more loving people. The zeal that drove Jesus to do what he did in the Temple continues to drive Him today as risen Lord. It drives him to keep renewing the community of his disciples, the church, so that it becomes more fully the sacrament of Godās presence in the world.
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus showed Himself to be a disturber of the peace, because the peace He found in the temple was not the peace of God. The risen Jesus continues to be a disturber of false peace today. Jesus took His stand in the Temple as God in human form. He could speak authoritatively of His Fatherās house. When we take a stand against something, we always do so as sinners. In our efforts to try and put something right, we are aware that all is probably not right in our own lives. The temple of our own lives will need cleansing to some degree; how we speak and act does not always serve Godās purposes. This awareness will keep us humble as we try to give expression in our lives to the Lordās passion for the values of Godās kingdom. The church can sometimes substitute Godās wisdom with human wisdom, Godās power with human strength. Just as in the Gospel reading Jesus wanted to purify the temple, the risen Lord is constantly working to purify the church. All of us who make up the church need to be open to His purifying presence. In the works of the book of Revelation, we need to be listening to what the Spirit, the Spirit of the risen Lord, is saying to us the church. We are all called to listen to the challenging word of the Spirit and to be open to the purifying presence of the risen Lord. We are all the church, and we all have our part to play in ensuring that the church is what the Lord intends it to be. Lent in particular is a time when we try to listen to what the Spirit may be saying to us about our lives; it is a time when as individuals and as a community we are called to allow the Spirit to renew our lives so that we conform more fully to the image and likeness of Christ. The fiery Jesus of the Gospel reading who is passionate about what God wants remains alive and active at the heart of the church today. The relationship between the Lord and the church, between the Lord and each one of us, will always be marked by a certain tension, because the Lord will always be working to purify and renew us. In the light of the Gospel reading we might ask ourselves in what ways we have allowed the values of the market place to override the values of the Gospel in our own lives, in the life of our society, in the life of our church.
In our first reading this Sunday, from the Book of Exodus, the Lord spoke to Moses, revealing the core and basic tenets of the Law and the commandments which He was giving to His people, the Israelites, whom He was taking on a journey through the desert, on their way out of the land of Egypt, from their slavery and sufferings there, and into the land of promise, the Land of Canaan. The Lord gave them all His Law and commandments to guide them and to help them navigate their lives so that they would not lose their way and be misguided into the path of sin and evil, knowing that they would disobey and rebel against Him. The Lord taught them all His ways and showed them all that to follow Him and to commit to the Covenant which He had been making with them and their ancestors, then they would have to adhere to those Law and commandments. God gave the Ten Commandments to His people through Moses. He wrote on the two slabs of stone, as the heart and core of all the laws, precepts, rules and matters pertaining His ways and teachings. The Ten Commandments, just as the Lord Jesus elaborated and explained further later on, were in essence the way to love the Lord as well as loving one another, oneās own parents, family, relatives, friends and any other people around us, even strangers and acquaintances, because God Himself is Love, and it is only right and appropriate that all of us who follow Him and call ourselves as His beloved people, as Christians, just as the Israelites in the past, do what is truly befitting of us as people filled with love both for our God and as well as for our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We are reminded that, to be truly filled with Godās love, we must show that same, selfless and most generous love towards our Lord, first and foremost, in loving and focusing ourselves on Him at all times, in loving Him with all of our strength and might, and doing whatever we can so that by our love, we may truly dedicate and commit ourselves to Him, loving Him as just how He has loved us so generously. Then, we are reminded to show love and care for our fellow brothers and sisters, not to cause any hurt or suffering upon them, to be genuine in all of our love and compassion towards each other. This is why we must always centre ourselves upon the Lord, obey His Law and commit ourselves to the path that He has shown us.
In our second reading today from St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city of Corinth, the Apostle spoke of how their beliefs, the beliefs that Christians upheld and possessed, all of them might lead to ridicule, rejection and persecution from both the Jewish authorities and people, as well as the Greeks, the two groups which at that time were where the main obstacles to the Christian missions came from. The Jewish authorities in particular opposed the teachings of the Lord and the works of His Apostles because they denied that He is the Son of God, and they had charged Him with blasphemy and crime against the Lord and His people. Meanwhile, for the Greeks, many of whom were still pagan at that time, the rapid growth of the Christian faith and the increasingly rapid rate of conversion were threatening their traditional way of life and their own beliefs in the many pagan gods of the region. We are called to uphold the the teachings of the Lord and try to give expression in our lives to the Lordās passion for the values of Godās kingdom. Just as in today’s Gospel, the stand that Jesus took in the Temple could be considered foolish. He was setting Himself against powerful interest groups, which could only spell danger for Him. Yet, as Paul states in todayās second reading, āGodās foolishness is wiser than human wisdomā. Sometimes God may ask us to take a step that, from a merely human point of view, looks foolish, and, yet, in reality is an expression of the wisdom and power of God.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures this Sunday, as we approach the halfway point in this season of Lent, each and every one of us are reminded to reflect on our own respective way of life, and our actions. We are called to listen to the Lord our God, heed His Law and commandments, and be truly genuine and sincere in following Him as His disciples, followers and holy people. We cannot be truly saved unless we have embraced God in all things, in all parts of our whole lives and do everything in accordance to His will, to the best of our abilities. God has given us His Law and commandments to help and guide us in our journey, so that we can find the best path towards Him, in following what His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has taught and revealed to us, in truly being obedient to the fullness of Godās Law and commandments, in being sincere and full of love both for God and for our fellow brothers and sisters around us. Each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, we must always stand firm in our faith and in our Christian way of living, resisting and rejecting the temptations of worldly glory and all the paths of evil and wickedness which the devil and all of the forces of the wicked have arrayed against us. Each and every one of us should embrace Godās path and remember His Law and commandments, reminding ourselves that as Christians, as Godās holy people, we must always be exemplary in our lives and actions, and we must inspire others around us in how we live our lives, fulfilling the Law and commandments of God, not just doing them without meaning and purpose, but doing them with full of understanding and appreciation of what the Law is all about. Just as the Lord has rooted out and chased those wicked people out of the Temple of God, let us all be reminded that especially during this time and season of Lent, we should also root out from ourselves all the wickedness of sin and evil, all the things which had ensnared us and kept us away from God and His truth. We must remember that our body, heart, mind, soul and our whole being itself is like the Temple of God, and we must always keep it pure and worthy of the Lord at all times. This is why today and henceforth, let us all repent from our sinful and wicked ways, and make best use of this time of Lent to turn back once again towards the Lord, our most loving and merciful God, keeping faithfully His Law and commandments, and be good inspiration for everyone around us. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless us in our every good efforts and endeavours, all the work we do for His greater glory, not only just for the duration of this season of Lent, but continuing on for the rest of our lives. Amenš
*SAINTS OF THE DAY – MEMORIAL OF SAINT KATHARINE DREXEL, VIRGIN AND SAINT CUNEGUNDES, EMPRESS: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Katharine Drexel, Virgin (Patron Saint ofĀ racial justiceĀ and of philanthropists) and
Saint Cunegundes, Empress (Patron Saint of Luxembourg and Lithuania). Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the poor and the needy, for persecuted christians, for an end to religious and political unrest, for justice and peace, love and unity in our world that is torn apart by war, terrorism, racism and countless other acts of violence against human life.š
SAINT KATHARINE DREXEL, VIRGIN: St. Katharine Drexel (1858-1955) was a wealthy heiress from a prominent family in Philadelphia who abandoned her familyās fortune to found an order of sisters dedicated to serving the impoverished African American and American Indian populations of the United States. Although African-Americans had been freed from slavery, they continued to suffer serious abuse and were often prevented from obtaining even a basic education. Much the same situation held in the case of the native American Indians, who had been forcibly moved into reservations over the course of the 19th century. St. Katharine was born on November 26, 1858, Philadelphia, PA toĀ Francis Anthony Drexel and Hannah Langstroth, a wealthy and well-connected banking family. The family’s wealth, however, did not prevent them from living out a serious commitment to their faith.Ā Her mother opened up the family house three times a week to feed and care for the poor, and her father had a deep personal prayer life. Both parents encouraged their daughters to think of the family’s wealth not as their own, but as a gift from God which was to be used to help others. During the summer months, Katharine and her sisters would teach catechism classes to the children of the workers on her familyās summer estate. The practice would prepare her for a life of service, with a strong focus on education and attention to the poor and vulnerable. She had an excellent education and traveled widely. As a rich girl, she had a grand debut into society. From a young age became imbued with love for God and neighbor, she felt called to serve the spiritual and temporal needs of the underprivileged, particularly the African American and Native American communities. She began by donating money, but quickly realized this would not bring the lasting change these communities desperately needed āthe lacking ingredient was people. She had always been interested in the plight of the Indians, having been appalled by reading Helen Hunt Jackson’sĀ A Century of Dishonor. Ā
While on a European tour, she met Pope Leo XIII and asked him to send more missionaries to Wyoming for her friend Bishop James O’Connor. The pope replied, “Why don’t you become a missionary?” His answer shocked her into considering new possibilities. Back home, she visited the Dakotas, met the Sioux leader Red Cloud and began her systematic aid to Native American missions. She could easily have married. But after much discussion with Bishop O’Connor, she wrote in 1889, “The feast of Saint Joseph brought me the grace to give the remainder of my life to the Indians and the Colored.” Newspaper headlines screamed “Gives Up Seven Million!” In February of 1891, she made her first vows in religious life ā formally renouncing her fortune and her personal freedom for the sake of growing closer to God in solidarity with the victims of injustice. After three and a half years of training, St. Katharine founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Native Americans and African Americans, whose members would work for the betterment of those they were called to serve. From the age of 33 until her death in 1955, she dedicated her life and a fortune of 20 million dollars to this work. St. Katharine and her first band of nuns (Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored) build the first missions boarding school for Native Americans in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1894. A string of foundations followed. By 1942 she had a system of African American Catholic schools in thirteen states, plus forty mission centers and twenty-three rural schools. Segregationists harassed her work, even burning a school in Pennsylvania. In all, she established fifty missions for Native Americans in sixteen states. Two saints met when she was advised by Mother Cabrini about the “politics” of getting her order’s rule approved in Rome. Her crowning achievement was the founding of Xavier University in New Orleans in 1915, the first Catholic university in the United States for African Americans. At seventy-seven, she suffered a heart attack and was forced to retire. Apparently her life was over. But now came almost twenty years of quiet, intense prayer from a small room overlooking the sanctuary. Small notebooks and slips of paper record her various prayers, ceaseless aspirations and meditation. She died at the age of ninety-six on March 3, 1955 at Cornwells Heights, Pennsylvania. At her death there were more than 500 Sisters teaching in over 63 schools throughout the country. St. Katherine was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 20, 1988, and canonized on October 1, 2000 by the same Pontiff, making her the second American-born saint and the first one born a U.S. citizen. She’s the Patron Saint of racial justice and of philanthropists.
PRAYER:Ā Ever loving God, you called Saint Katharine Drexel to teach the message of the Gospel and to bring the life of the Eucharist to the African American and Native American peoples. By her prayers and example, enable us to work for justice among the poor and oppressed. Keep us undivided and draw us all into the Eucharistic community of Your Church, that we may be one in you. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and everā¦ Amenš
SAINT CUNEGUNDES, EMPRESS: St. Cunegundes was the daughter of Siegfried, the first Count of Luxemburg, and Hadeswige, his pious wife. They instilled into her from her cradle the most tender sentiments of piety, and married her to St. Henry, Duke of Bavaria, who, upon the death of the Emperor Otho III., was chosen king of the Romans, and crowned on the 6th of June, 1002. She was crowned at Paderborn on St. Laurence’s day. In the year 1014 she went with her husband to Rome, and received the imperial crown with him from the hands of Pope Benedict VIII. She had, by St. Henry’s consent, before her marriage made a vow of virginity. Calumniators afterwards made vile accusations against her, and the holy empress, to remove the scandal of such a slander, trusting in God to prove her innocence, walked over red-hot ploughshares without being hurt. The emperor condemned his too scrupulous fears and credulity, and from that time they lived in the strictest union of hearts, conspiring to promote in everything God’s honor and the advancement of piety.
Going once to make a retreat in Hesse, she fell dangerously ill, and made a vow to found a monastery, if she recovered, at Kaffungen, near Cassel, in the diocese of Paderborn, which she executed in a stately manner, and gave it to nuns of the Order of St. Benedict. Before it was finished St. Henry died, in 1024. She earnestly recommended his soul to the prayers of others, especially to her blear nuns, and expressed her longing desire of joining them. She had already exhausted her treasures in founding bishoprics and monasteries, and in relieving the poor, and she had therefore little left now to give. But still thirsting to embrace perfect evangelical poverty, and to renounce all to serve God without obstacle, she assembled a great number of prelates to the dedication of her church of Kaffungen on the anniversary day of her husband’s death, 1025; and after the gospel was sung at Mass she offered on the altar a piece of the true cross, and then, putting off her imperial robes, clothed herself with a poor habit; her hair was cut off, and the bishop put on her a veil and a ring as a pledge of her fidelity to her heavenly Spouse. After she was consecrated to God in religion, she seemed entirely to forget that she had been empress, and behaved as the last in the house, being persuaded that she was 30 before God. She prayed and read much, worked with her hands, and took a singular pleasure in visiting and comforting the sick.
Thus she passed the last fifteen years of her life. Her mortifications at length reduced her to a very weak condition and brought on her last sickness. Perceiving that they were preparing a cloth fringed with gold to cover her corpse after her death, she changed color and ordered it to be taken away; nor could she be at rest till she was promised she should be buried as a poor religious in her habit. She died on the 3d of March, 1040. Her body was carried to Bamberg and buried near that of her husband. She was solemnly canonized by Innocent III in 1200. She’s the Patron Saint of Luxembourg and Lithuania.
PRAYER: God, You inspired St. Cunegundes to strive for perfect charity and so attain Your Kingdom at the end of her pilgrimage on earth. Strengthen us through her intercession that we may advance rejoicing in the way of loveā¦Amenš
PRAYER INTENTIONS: We thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name of our Savior Jesus Christ! May the Lord grant us His grace as we continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth and as we begin the Lenten Season. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying. We particularly pray for sick children, those who are sick with convulsive disorder, mental illness, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. May God restore them to good health and grant them His Divine healing and intervention. May our Mother Mary comfort them, may the Angels and Saints watch over them and may the Holy Spirit guide them in peace and comfort during this challenging time. We pray for the safety and well-being of us all and our families, for peace, love and unity in our families, our marriages and our divided and conflicted world. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ Amen. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. For vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amenš
Let us pray:
My cleansing Lord, You cleansed the Temple of Jerusalem not once, but twice. Your zeal for its purity of worship was clear. Please come and make my soul Your dwelling place today and cleanse me of all sin. Please help me to especially see any ways that I have remained obstinate in my sin, and please cleanse those sins with much vigor. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amenš
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Katharine Drexel and Saint Cunegundes ~ Pray for usš
Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for us all during this season of Lent, let us be renewed by prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times and may this season of Lent bring us all true salvation in Christ as we remain united in peace, love and faith. Have a blessed, safe, fruitful and grace-filled Third Sunday of Lent and week ~ Amenš
Blessings and Love always, Philomena š