MEMORIAL OF SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AND SAINT PETER NOLASCO, CONFESSOR

THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SAINT(S) OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ JANUARY 28, 2025

Greetings and blessings, beloved family and Happy Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time!

Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, St. Thomas Aquinas and all the Saints on this Feast day, we humbly pray for the safety and well-being of our children, all students, for philosophers, theologians, apologists, scholars, teachers, for Catholic institutions, and all universities and institutions. We continue to pray for all those who are sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for God’s grace and mercy upon us through this Ordinary Time, and may the Lord grant us the grace to serve Him in spirit and in truth🙏

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN | January 28, 2025” |

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Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | January 28, 2025 |

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

Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song”| January 28, 2025 |

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

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

Today’s Bible Readings: Tuesday January 28, 2025
Reading 1, Hebrews 10:1-10
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 106:19-20, 21-22, 23
Gospel, Mark 3:31-35

On this Feast day, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and all the Saints, we humbly pray and thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, our Savior Jesus Christ! For the safety and well-being of all our children and children all over the world. We pray for God’s guidance and protection upon them. We continue to pray for peace all around the world, particularly in the Middle East, Ukraine-Russia and other parts of the world. We pray for an end to the wars and conflicts, and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. For the gentle repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

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

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

PRAYER FOR THE VICTIMS OF WILDFIRES AND DISASTERS: We continue to pray for the victims of the current wildfires in the United States (Los Angeles, California) and victims of natural disasters across the world. We especially pray for those that have lost their lives and their families.

“Most Merciful God, Be “our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress” (Psalm 46:1). You created us and sustain us by Your almighty power. Your mercy knows no bounds. At this time of great suffering, we entrust all victims of the wildfires to You. Comfort them, fill them with Your grace, and provide for their needs. We entrust all who have died to Your merciful Heart. Cleanse them of their sins and welcome them into Your heavenly Kingdom. Give wisdom and prudence to those managing this disaster. Give courage and resolve to those on the front lines. Keep them safe and successful in their efforts. Command the winds and the flames to obey You, Lord, as You once calmed the stormy seas. Pour the water of Your grace upon these destructive fires. Stay them with Your powerful hand. Angels of God, come to the aid of those most in need of God’s mercy. Protect them, guide them, and reveal to them God’s holy will. St. Florian, patron of firefighters, pray for those bravely battling the flames. St. Michael the Archangel, defend them in their peril. Saints in Heaven, we beseech your prayer. Intercede for those most in need. From this tragedy and chaos, bring hope and peace. Turn sorrow into compassion. Turn confusion into faith. Turn despair into divine hope. We place all our trust in You, Most Merciful God, knowing that You will bring forth new life and healing from the ashes of this trial. May Your name be glorified now and forever. Amen” 🙏🏽

A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

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

SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AND SAINT PETER NOLASCO, CONFESSOR: – FEAST DAY ~ JANUARY 28TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church and Saint Peter Nolasco, Confessor. St. Thomas Aquinas is the Patron Saint of schools and of sacred theology; philosophers; theologians; apologists; students; universities; academics; against storms; against lightning; apologists; book sellers; Catholic academies; Catholic schools; Catholic universities; chastity; colleges; learning; lightning; pencil makers; publishers; scholars; schools; storms; University of Vigo. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, St. Thomas Aquinas and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the safety and well-being of all students, for all universities, Catholic institutions, for philosophers, theologians, apologists, scholars and teachers. We continue to pray for all those who are sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases.

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: St. Thomas  Aquinas (1225-1274 ) is the Dominican order’s greatest glory and ranks among the greatest writers and theologians of all time. He was the 13th century theologian who showed that the Catholic faith is in harmony with philosophy and all other branches of knowledge. He taught philosophy and theology with such genius that he is considered one of the leading Christian thinkers. A deeply speculative mind, he joined a remarkable life of prayer, a precious memento of which has been left to us in the Office of Corpus Christi. He’s a perfect model of childlike simplicity and goodness, his innocence, on a par with his genius, earned for him the title of “Angelic Doctor.” St. Thomas was born in 1226 into a wealthy and noble family in Aquino, Italy, having relatives among the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. His father Landulph was the Count of Aquino, and his mother Theodora, the Countess of Teano. At age five, Thomas was sent to study at Monte Cassino, the abbey founded by St. Benedict and placed him under the care of the Benedictines of Monte Cassino. His teachers were surprised at the progress the boy made, for he surpassed all his fellow pupils in learning as well as in the practice of virtue. The boy’s intellectual gifts and serious disposition impressed the monks, who urged his father to place him in a university by the time he was 10. At the University of Naples, he learned philosophy and rhetoric while taking care to preserve his morals against corruption by other students. When he became of age to choose his state of life, St. Thomas renounced the things of this world and resolved to enter the Order of St. Dominic in spite of the opposition of his family. Some members of his family resorted to all manner of means over a two-year period to break his constancy. When Thomas set off to enter the newly founded Dominican order to be a poor mendicant friar, his mother held him prisoner in the family castle in order to dissuade him. His brothers went as far as trying to destroy his purity, and thus his vocation, by tempting him with a prostitute. However Thomas resisted and turned to God for help; as a result, angels were sent to guard and preserve his chastity. St. Thomas persevered in his vocation. This long ordeal only strengthened his vocation, and eventually he escaped and joined the Dominicans of Naples in 1243, at the age of seventeen. As a reward for the Saint’s fidelity, his purity of mind and body, and remarkable intelligence, God conferred upon him the gift of perfect chastity, which has merited for him the title of the Angelic Doctor.

After making his profession at Naples, St. Thomas studied at Cologne under the celebrated St. Albert the Great. Here he was nicknamed the “Dumb Ox” because of his silent ways and huge size, but he was really a brilliant student. At the age of twenty-two, he was appointed to teach in the same city. At the same time he also began to publish his first works. After four years he was sent to Paris. The Saint was then a priest. At the age of thirty-one he received his Doctorate. At Paris, he was honored with the friendship of the King, St. Louis, with whom he frequently dined. In 1261, Urban IV called him to Rome, where he was appointed to teach, but he positively declined to accept and ecclesiastical dignity. St. Thomas not only wrote (his writings fill twenty hefty tomes characterized by brilliance of thought and lucidity of language), but he preached often and with the great fruit. Clement IV offered him the Archbishopric of Naples, which he also refused. He was mild in word and kind in deed. He believed everyone was as innocent as he himself was. When someone sinned through weakness, Thomas bemoaned the sin as if it were his own. The goodness of his heart shone in his face, no one could look upon him and remain disconsolate. How he suffered with the poor and the needy was most inspiring. Whatever clothing or other items he could give away, he gladly did. He kept nothing superfluous in his efforts to alleviate the needs of others.

St. Thomas’ best-known achievements are his works of theology. These include the Summa Contra Gentiles, the Compendium Theologiae, and the great Summa Theologica – an explanation and summary of the entire body of Catholic teaching, has been standard for centuries, even to our own day. At the 16th century Council of Trent it was consulted after the Bible, placed on the Altar along with the Bible for easy reference during discussion. In December 1273, however, the scholar proclaimed that he could write no more, following a mystical experience in which he said he had “seen things that make my writings look like straw.” But he complied with a request ordered there by Gregory X, to attend the Council of Lyon to help reunite the Latin and Greek churches. On his way there, however, Thomas became ill and stopped at a Cistercian abbey. The monks treated him with reverence, and it was to them that he dictated a final work of theology: a commentary on the Old Testament’s Song of Songs. The saint did not live to finish this commentary, however. He fell sick and nearing death, he made a final confession and asked for the Eucharist to be brought to him. In its presence, he declared: “I adore you, my God and my Redeemer … for whose honor I have studied, labored, preached, and taught.” He died at the Cistercian monastery of Fossa Nuova on March 7, 1274, at about the age of fifty. After he died his lifelong companion and confessor testified, “I have always known him to be as innocent as a five-year-old child. Never did a carnal temptation soil his soul, never did he consent to a mortal sin.” He cherished a most tender devotion to St. Agnes, constantly carrying relics of this virgin martyr on his person. He was canonized in 1323 by Pope John XXII and made a Doctor of the Church in 1567. In 1965, the Second Vatican Council taught that seminarians should learn “under the guidance of St. Thomas,” in order to “illumine the mysteries of salvation as completely as possible.” St. Thomas Aquinas is the Patron Saint of schools and of sacred theology; philosophers; theologians; apologists; students; universities; academics; against storms; against lightning; apologists; book sellers; Catholic academies; Catholic schools; Catholic universities; chastity; colleges; learning; lightning; pencil makers; ; publishers; scholars; schools; storms; University of Vigo.

PRAYER: Father of wisdom, You inspired St. Thomas Aquinas with an ardent desire of holiness and study of sacred doctrine. Help us, we pray, to understand what he taught and to imitate what he lived. Amen🙏

SAINT PETER NOLASCO, CONFESSOR: St. Peter Nolasco (1182-1256) is a French Saint and founder of the Mercedarian or Nolascan Order (The Order of Our Lady of Mercy or Ransom) founded in Spain in 1218, for the purpose of attending to the sick and ransoming Christian captives from the Moors. It was originally a military order. St. Peter Nolasco was born in c.1182 at Recaud, near Carcassonne, in Southern France, of noble and wealthy parents. His distinguishing virtue was the love of his neighbour, which seemed to be presaged by this incident that when he was a baby in his cradle, a swarm of bees one day lighted upon him, and formed a honey-comb on his right hand and he was not harmed. From his youth, he was noted for his piety, almsgiving and charity. He lost his parents early in life. The Albigensian heresy was, at that time, making way in France. Christians were persecuted throughout a large part of the Iberian peninsula. Peter, out of the hatred he had for that sect, withdrew into Spain, after having sold his estates. This gave him an opportunity of fulfilling a vow at our Lady’s of Mount Serrat, which he had made some time previous. After this, he went to Barcelona; and having there spent all his money in ransommg the Christian captives from the slavery of their enemies, he was often heard saying, that he would willingly sell himself to redeem others, or become a slave in the stead of any captive.

God showed him, by the following event, how meritorious in his sight was this desire. He was one night praying for the Christian captives, and deliberating with himself how he might obtain their deliverance, when the Blessed Virgin appeared to him (1228) and told him, that he would render himself most dear to her Son and herself, if he would institute, in her honour, an Order of Religious men, who should devote themselves to the ransoming Captives from the infidels. In compliance with her wish, St. Peter delayed not to follow the heavenly suggestion, and instituted the Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the redemption of Captives, in which he was aided by St. Raymond of Penafort and James the First, King of Aragon, both of whom had, on that⁵ same night, received the intimation from the Mother of God. Besides the usual vows, all Religious of this Order are required to take a fourth vow, namely, to offer themselves as slaves to the Moors, if they can in no other way obtain the ransom of the Christians. The new Merecedarian Order, Our Lady of Ransom, was approved by Pope Gregory IX in 1230. In the beginning St. Peter Nolasco and his associates were lawmen, but Pope Clement V decreed that the Master General of the Order should always be a Priest. On one occasion St. Peter Nolasco ransomed 400 at Valencia and Granada; twice he traveled to Africa as “the Ransomer,” not without peril to his own life; and records show that through his personal efforts a total of 890 Christians regained their liberty.

Having taken a vow of virginity, he spent his whole life in the most perfect purity. He excelled in every virtue, especially in patience, humility, and abstinence. He foretold future events by the gift of prophecy, wherewith God had favoured him. Thus, when king James was laying siege to Valentia, then in the possession of the Moors, he received assurance from the Saint that he would be blessed with victory. He was frequently consoled with the sight of his Angel Guardian and the Virgin Mother of God. At length, worn out with old age, he received an intimation of his approaching death. When he was seized with his last sickness, he received the holy Sacraments, and exhorted his Religious Brethren to love the Captives. After which, he began most devoutly to recite the Psalm, I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; and at these words from Psalm 110: The Lord has sent Redemption to His people, he breathed forth his soul into the hands of his Creator, at Christmas midnight, on December 25, 1256 at Barcelona, Spain. He was canonized in 1628. St. Peter Nolasco is the Patron Saint of fishermen.

PRAYER FOR THE INTERCESSION OF ST. PETER NOLASCO: O God, you clothed our Father, Saint Peter Nolasco, with the love of Christ; and through the Blessed Virgin Mary you made him a messenger of love and liberty for Christians held in captivity. Help us to imitate him by working for the redemption of all the oppressed and for the building up of your Church. Grant 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🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today’s Holy Mass | Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church | Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 3:31-35

“Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother”

“The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, “Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.” But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus seems to distance Himself from His family of origin, His blood family in spite of their very good intentions and acting out of genuine concern for Jesus. Jesus’ Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary went with other members of Jesus’ family to ‘restrain’ Jesus, to seize Him, because people were saying about Jesus that He had gone out of His mind. According to the Gospel, while Jesus is teaching in a house, one of the crowd informs Him that His mother and brothers and sisters are outside the house wanting to speak to Him. Jesus declares that He now has a new family, the family of those seated around Him, the family of His disciples, the family of those who do the will of God as proclaimed and lived by Jesus. If we only read this remark from the face value and interpret it literally, then we may think that the Lord had been very rude towards His mother and relatives. However, what the Lord Jesus truly intended by mentioning those words was that everyone are welcome to come to Him and all are equally beloved to Him. There is no favouritism by the Lord, and it does not mean that one has privilege simply by being related to Him. This is contrasted to the common attitude and actions of many people at the time, and even up to this day, where we tend to give special favors and treatment, over others who are not related to us. Meanwhile, the Lord gives this opportunity of reconciliation between us and Himself generously and equally regardless of our background and origin, and no one is to be excluded from the generous love of God, no matter what. Jesus’ action must have been difficult for His Mother to come to terms with this new reality. Jesus no longer belonged to her or the rest of her family. Jesus now belonged to a much larger family that was not defined by blood but by its relationship to Him and to the God whom He proclaimed. This family soon came to be called the church and we are all members of that family today. Through baptism we have been initiated into that family, becoming sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus and, as one family, people who look to the Blessed Virgin Mary as our mother. We are, in many ways, shaped by our family of origin, but, more fundamentally, we are shaped by this ecclesial family to which we belong. It is there that we encounter Jesus, the Lord, in word, in sacrament and in each other; it is there that we imbibe His values and receive His Spirit. According to Jesus in today’s Gospel reading what really defines us as members of this family is our willingness to do the will of God, as Jesus proclaimed and lived it. That is why the distinguishing prayer that Jesus gave to this family of disciples, our family prayer, begins, ‘Father… thy will be done, on earth as in heaven’. As members of Jesus’ spiritual family, we are called to do the will of God as Jesus has revealed it to us, through His teaching, His life, His death and resurrection. We spend our lives trying to discern what the Lord’s will for our lives is, and then trying to grow in the freedom to do that will. For Jesus’ Mother and His family, doing God’s will entailed renouncing control over Jesus, letting go of their own will for Him, which did not come easy to them. Doing the will of God does not come easy to us either. Yet, with the help of the Holy Spirit, our will can be gradually conformed to God’s will for our lives. This is the journey we are asked to be faithful to until the end of our earthly lives. We are all invited to belong to the Lord’s family and at the Eucharist we both celebrate and consolidate our belonging to this family.

Our first reading today is a continuation of the discourse from the past few weeks from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author of the Epistle explains to the intended audience, the Jewish community and people, likely both the believers among them and also those who have not yet believed in Christ, about the nature of the works of the Messiah, Who has offered Himself as a worthy sacrifice and offering to redeem all of us sinners. The context was that the requirement by the Law of God revealed to Moses obliged the people to offer sacrifices to the Lord regularly for the cleansing from their sins and debts, which they had to offer through the Priests at the Temple and House of God. And by the nature of those sacrificial offerings, they had to be offered regularly and periodically, as the offerings were animals and other earthly offerings that cannot be enough to be offered to atone for the multitudes of our innumerable sins. There is one and only one sacrifice and offering that is worthy and good enough for that purpose, and that is exactly what the Lord Jesus had offered for our sake. He has given freely the offering of His own Most Precious Body and Blood, the Immaculate, Perfect and Infinitely wonderful Body and Blood of the Paschal Lamb, the Divine Word Incarnate. There can be no greater offering than the offering of God made Man, God Who loves us all so much that He has willingly embraced us all with His most generous love and mercy, giving us all the assurance of hope and eternal life. And because of this most wonderful and generous love of God, Christ has offered for us the one only necessary sacrifice and offering for the atonement of all of our multitudes of sins. There is no longer any need for us to bear the burden of sin, as long as we put ourselves, our lives and our faith in the Lord, and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to Him, as we all should be doing. That is why the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews mentioned that the sacrifice and offerings which the Lord Jesus, the Saviour of the world has offered on the Altar of His Cross has nullified the need for the regular sacrifices and offerings at the Temple of God as prescribed by the old Law of God, and instead, everyone has been called to embrace God’s love and put their faith in Him. In that same occasion, the author also mentioned that the Lord Jesus has obeyed His Father’s will perfectly, to do what He has been sent to do in this world, to show that if by our disobedience and disregard of God’s Law and will we have fallen into sin and destruction, the path to damnation and downfall, then by listening to God and obeying His will, all of us can be restored to grace and be reconciled with God, our most loving Father and Creator. We have been given the free will and the freedom to choose the path that we want to walk in our lives. If we choose to follow the Lord and obey Him, walking in the path that He has shown us, then He will guide us to the sure path towards everlasting life and eternity of happiness and joy with Him. But, if we choose to walk our own path, and allow the temptations of sin to mislead us into the wrong path, we may end up falling into eternal damnation and regret our choice later on.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that we are partakers of the same Covenant which our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour has formed and mediated for us, and which He has established and sealed through the breaking of His own Most Precious Body and the outpouring of His own Most Precious Blood, the Body and Blood of the Holy Lamb of God, the One Who takes away the sins of the whole world, of all mankind, past, present and future. And therefore, as we have been given this great gift from God, the outpouring and sharing of the most generous love of God, we should hence appreciate what the Lord has granted us and learn to obey Him wholeheartedly at all times, doing our best to walk in His Holy Presence and living our lives to the best of our abilities as faithful disciples and followers of God. We are all called to emulate the lives and examples of the Holy men and women and all the Saints, particularly the life, ministry and work of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church and Saint Peter Nolasco, Confessor, who we celebrate today. Let us all therefore do our best in our own respective lives to live a most faithful, committed life to God, putting God at the centre of our lives, and focusing our attention on glorifying Him through our lives. Each and every one of us have been entrusted with the responsibility, mission and calling to carry out all that the Lord has entrusted to us, through the various opportunities He has provided to us. We should not squander these opportunities, and instead strive our best to commit ourselves with faith, and to remember always the great and most generous love that God has given us, and thus, commit ourselves to love Him with the same vigour and purpose. May the Lord be with us all and may He empower each one of us to be the faithful bearers of His love, His truth and hope amongst our brethren in this world today. May each and every one of us continue to be strong and courageous in standing up for our faith, doing our best each day and at every moments to be good examples and inspirations to everyone around us, much as St. Thomas Aquinas and many other Saints had inspired us all through their exemplary lives and faith. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and bless our every good efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory, and may He continue to guide us in our journey in life towards Him, now and always. Amen 🙏🏽

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF JANUARY | MONTH OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS: The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. After the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit, the Angel Gabriel appeared to St. Joseph and told him that the Child’s name should be called Jesus, meaning “God Saves.” According to Jewish law, on the 8th day after his birth a male child was to be circumcised, receive his name, and become a full member of God’s covenant people. According to the old Roman liturgical calendar, the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus was celebrated on January 1st, eight days after Christmas, the same day that He was given His sacred name. Currently we celebrate the Solemnity of the Mother of God on January 1st and honor the Holy Name of Jesus on January 3rd. For Catholics, Jesus’ sacred name is the object of a special devotion symbolized by the monogram “IHS,” (sometimes called a Christogram), which is the first three letters of the Greek spelling of His name.

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=12538

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2025: FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY – FOR THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION: Let us pray for migrants, refugees, and those affected by war, that their right to an education, which is necessary to build a better world, might always be respected.

https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2025

PRAYER FOR PEACE ~ POPE FRANCIS:

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

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

PRAYER INTENTIONS: Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, on this feast day, we humbly pray and 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! And as we begin the Ordinary Time, may the Lord grant us the grace to serve Him in spirit and in truth. We pray for peace, love and unity in our marriages, our families and our world today, as we face these incredibly challenging times. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are sick with heart diseases, strokes, mental illness, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and for all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for 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🙏