THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: JULY 4, 2024
Greetings beloved family and Happy Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time!
Happy 4th of July, USA Independence Day!🙏🇺🇸 May God continue to bless the United States of America and bless the whole world and may He keep us all united in peace, love and faith… Amen🙏
On this special feast day, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we humbly pray for justice, peace and unity in our families and our divided and conflicted world. We continue to pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to 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 & the Holy Spirit forever & ever. Amen🙏
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary on EWTN on YouTube | July 4, 2024 |
Watch “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | July 4, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from Lourdes, France” |July 4, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | July 4, 2024 |
Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy | from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | July 4, 2024 |
Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |
Memorare Chaplet | Prayer in Difficult Times (Powerful Prayer) |
NOVENA TO THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS | https://novenaprayer.com/novena-to-the-precious-blood-of-jesus/ (When to begin: Any time – The whole month of July)
Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday, July 4, 2024
Reading 1, Amos 7:10-17
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 19:8, 9, 10, 11
Gospel, Matthew 9:1-8
SAINTS OF THE DAY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL, RELIGIOUS; SAINT BERTHA OF ARTOIS, WIDOW, ABBESS; SAINT ULRIC OF AUGSBURG, BISHOP AND BLESSED PIER GIORGIO FRASSATI ~ FEAST DAY: JULY 4TH Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, Religious; Saint Bertha of Artois, Widow, Abbess; Saint Ulric of Augsburg, Bishop and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the sick and dying, especially those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for all expectant mothers, for difficult marriages, for the poor, the needy and most marginalized, for justice, peace and unity in our families and our world. And we continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏
SAINT ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL, RELIGIOUS: St. Elizabeth of Portugal was a Spanish princess, whose parents were Peter III, King of Aragon and Constance of Sicily, Queen of Aragon. She came into the world at the royal palace in Saragossa in 1271, and received the name of Elizabeth after her great-aunt, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who several years before had been canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1235. Their lives were similar in some important ways: both of them were married at very young ages, they sought to live the precepts of the Gospel despite their status as royalty, and finished their lives as members of the Third Order of St. Francis. St. Elizabeth’s grandfather, James I, who then occupied the throne of Aragon, took charge of her education, but he died before she was six years of age. Her early years were spent in the most extraordinary pieta and at the age of twelve she was given in marriage to King Denis (Dionysius), King of Portugal who was 20 at the time. She was very beautiful and very lovable. They were blessed with two children, a daughter, Constance of Portugal (Constantia) and a son, Alfonso IV of Portugal, however, king Denise fathered an additional seven children with other women. Her husband left her free to practice her devotions, and she lived on the throne with the virtue and regularity of a Religious. She was very devout, and went to Mass every day. St. Elizabeth was a holy wife, but although her husband was fond of her at first, he soon began to cause her great suffering. Though a good ruler, King Denis was faithfully devoted to his country, known as the “Worker King” because of his diligence. Unfortunately, he generally failed to live out the same faithfulness toward his wife, he did not imitate his wife’s love of prayer and other virtues. In fact, his sins of impurity gave great scandle to the people. St. Elizabeth was upset about her husband’s sinful ways, less because he was unfaithful but more so as he was offending God. She prayed with great devotion and did many penance on her husband’s behalf to win him back. Eventually, her prayer, patience and gentleness bore fruit and she succeeded in converting her husband, who had been leading a licentious life and he asked forgiveness of her. Many members of the king’s court likewise embraced or accepted various forms of immorality, and it would have been easy for the young queen to fall into these vices herself. But Elizabeth remained intent on doing God’s will with a humble and charitable attitude. Rather than using her status as queen to pursue her own satisfaction, she sought to advance Christ’s reign on earth. Like her namesake and great-aunt St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Elizabeth of Portugal was a devoted patroness and personal friend of the poor and sick, and she compelled the women who served her at court to care for them as well. The queen’s bishop testified that she had a custom of secretly inviting lepers, whom she would bathe and clothe, even though the law of the land barred them from approaching the castle.
St. Elizabeth’s virtue also had to pass through the crucible of suffering. Her commitment to the Gospel also became evident when she intervened to prevent civil war in the kingdom on two occasions. Saint Elizabeth helped her country avoid war during the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the keenest pangs she endured came from the revolt of her son, Alfonso, the only son of king Denis and St. Elizabeth, he resented the king’s indulgent treatment of one of his illegitimate sons, to the point that the father and son gathered together rival armies that were on the brink of open war in 1323. On this occasion, St. Elizabeth placed herself between the two opposing armies, insisting that Denis and Alfonso come to terms and make peace with one another. The King, however, soon acknowledged his error and made amends, and the saintly woman succeeded in effecting a reconciliation between father and son. In 1336, the last year of her life, she intervened in a similar manner to prevent her son from waging war against the King of Castile for his poor treatment of Alfonso’s own daughter. King Denis died in 1325 and his son Alfonso succeeded him. After the death of her husband, St. Elizabeth became a Franciscan, she took the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis and retired to a convent of Poor Clares, she had established some years before devoting her life to the poor, the sick and the most marginalized. Hearing that her son, Alphonsus IV, King of Portugal, had gone to war with her grandson, Alfonso XI, King of Castile, she set out on a journey to reconcile them and succeeded. This was the Saint’s last act of mercy, for having arrived at Estremoz, on the frontiers of Castile where her son was, she fell ill. After receiving the Last Sacraments, she died on July 4, 1336. The testimony of miracles accomplished through her intercession, after her death in 1336, contributed to her canonization by Pope Urban VIII in 1625. Charity to the poor was one of her characteristic virtues, and her works for the good of her fellowmen knew no bounds. Because St. Elizabeth was faithful to daily Mass, she found strength to carry her many great crosses. We should try our best to make it a habit to go to Mass daily. St. Elizabeth is the Patron Saint of brides; charitable societies; against jealousy; charitable workers; charity workers; charitiesm; Coimbra, Portugal; difficult marriages; falsely accused people; invoked in time of war; peace; queens; tertiaries; victims of adultery; victims of jealousy; victims of unfaithfulness; widows.
PRAYER: God, Author of peace and Lover of charity, You endowed St. Elizabeth with the wondrous grace of bringing dissidents together. Through her intercession enable us to practice works of peace so that we may be called children of God. Amen. Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, Religious ~ Pray for us 🙏
SAINT BERTHA OF ARTOIS, WIDOW, ABBESS: St. Bertha (644-723) was born in France in the year 644, was the daughter of Count Rigobert, who served in the court of Clovis II, and Ursanna, daughter of the king of Kent in England. In the twentieth year of her age this beautiful and pious maiden was married to the cousin of the king, the noble Sigfried, who determined to advance with his spouse along the paths of Christian perfection. They were blessed with five daughters, of whom two died in infancy; two others, Gertrude and Deotila, are canonized Saints like their mother. After several years of the most harmonious union, Sigfried died in 672, and Saint Bertha took the veil in a monastery which by divine instructions she built at Blangy in the district of Artois, France, a little distance from Hesdin. The monastery was solemnly consecrated in January of the year 682, and the holy widow endowed it with her terrains. Her daughters Gertrude and Deotila, greatly impressed by their mother’s act, soon followed her example.
St. Bertha was persecuted by Roger, or Rotgar, a young lord of the court of King Thierry III, who was furious over her refusal to give him Gertrude, already a professed religious, in marriage. He endeavored to slander her mother as being opposed to the succession of Thierry and involved with the English royalty in a conspiracy. The King sent for the Abbess to defend her cause, not sure that such conduct could be attributed to this holy woman. He took her in fact under his protection, and the persecution was halted. On her return to Blangy, St. Bertha had three churches built, to honor Saint Omer, Saint Vaast, and Saint Martin of Tours, and completed the construction of her convent. And then, after establishing the Rule of Saint Benedict and a regular observance in her community, she named Saint Deotila to replace her as abbess, and retired to a solitary cell to spend the remainder of her days in prayer. At the age of 79, having already buried her two daughters Deotila and Emma, she left Gertrude as Abbess in the monastery of Blangy, and died peacefully in the year 723.
Saint Bertha of Artois, Widow, Abbess ~ Pray for us 🙏
SAINT ULRIC OF AUGSBURG, BISHOP: St. Ulric (890-973) was born in 890 at Kyburg, Zurich, Switzerland as the son of Count Hucpald and Thetbirga. He was related to the dukes of Alamannia and the imperial family of the Ottos. He was a sickly child, but as a boy was educated at the monastic school of Saint Gall and proved to be an excellent student. He also served as chamberlain to his uncle, Blessed Adalbero, bishop of Augsburg and later ordained him. The young man was wise in the ways of God and carried out his duties with utmost reverence and great prudence. He was zealous at prayer, diligent in study, and magnanimous toward the poor. Aware of the fragile character of chastity, he shunned every hint of danger, saying: “Take away the fuel, and you take away the fire.” He was ordained as Bishop of Augsburg on December 28, 923. During his time as bishop, he built churches, visited from parish to parish, worked with the sick in hospitals and provided for the instruction, relief, and comfort his flock—working long hours and praying unceasingly. He set a good example for his priests to follow, and brought relics from Rome. He made a visitation of his diocese annually and held synods of the clergy semi-annually. His good works paid off in the form of improved moral and social conditions for both the clergy and laity.
In 955, the Magyars plundered Germany and once again attacked Augsburg. This time, however, they were stopped and hurled back. Due to St. Ulric’s courage, his leadership, and his ability to organize the resistance, Augsburg held firm until Emperor Otto arrived and the people attributed this triumph to the prayers of their holy Bishop who had continued in prayer for his flock, like Moses on the mountain. On August 10, 955, a battle was fought in Lechfeld, and the invaders were finally defeated. Some legends say that St. Ulric actually fought in the battle, but that was impossible.
After 48 years as bishop, an ill and exhausted Ulric resigned his seat, and handed the diocese over to his nephew-a move which had the blessing of the emporer, but which the Synod of Ingelheim ruled uncanonical, and they charged and tried the aging bishop for nepotism. St. Ulric apologized, did penance, and was forgiven, the message of which reached him on his death bed. St. Ulric died on July 4, 973 at Augsburg, Germany of natural causes. He was buried in the Church of Saint Afra. A letter circulated for a while that indicated St. Ulric did not support priestly celibacy, seeing it as an unnecessary burden. However, this was later proven a forgery, and St. Ulric had certainly enforced the discipline upon himself as well as his clergy. St. Ulric was the first saint to be canonized by a Pope, which led to the formal process that continues today. Legend has it that pregnant women who drank from his chalice had easy deliveries, and thus developed his patronage of pregnant women and easy births. The touch of his pastoral cross was used to heal people bitten by rabid dogs. Miracles recorded at his tomb influenced Pope John XV to canonize St. Ulric on February 3, 993. He’s Patron Saint against birth complications, against faintness, against fever, against mice and moles (except those in holes); diocese of Augsburg, Germany; happy death, weavers, San Dorligo della Valle, Creazzo, Italy.
PRAYER: God, You willed that St. Ulric, Your Bishop, should shine forth with pastoral solicitude and compassion for the poor. Help us who celebrate his merits to imitate his charity. Amen. Saint Ulric of Augsburg, Bishop ~ Pray for us🙏
BLESSED PIER GIORGIO FRASSATI: Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) was born in Turin, Italy, to a wealthy and prominent Italian family on on April 6, 1901. He was a handsome, vibrant, joyful, courageous, devout Catholic and athletic youth with an adventurous spirit and a strong zest for life. He loved mountain climbing, the theater, opera, and literature. He also had a deep spiritual life and a strong devotion to the Holy Eucharist and the Virgin Mary, even while his piety provoked criticism from his parents. He challenged his friends to a life of virtue, leading them in spiritual exercises such as daily Mass and the rosary. He joined the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in 1918 and became a Lay Dominican in 1922. He was also politically active in resisting fascism and communism; he took part in public demonstrations and joined religious-political organizations such as the Catholic Students Federation and Catholic Action. He also spent much time caring for the sick and poor to a heroic degree, yet his parents punished him when they caught him giving away his money and possessions. While ministering to the sick he contracted polio and died just six days later at the age of 24. His family, thinking he suffered from a mild sickness, did not realize the seriousness of his condition until it was too late. At his funeral his parents were shocked to find thousands of the city’s poor, whom their son had helped in some way, arrive to pay their respects. He died too soon at just 24 but has since become the model for lay people – and future popes! – all over the world. He’s a saint for the modern world, and especially for the young people of our time.
These are 12 amazing facts of his short but very intense life: 1. Despite being raised by agnostic parents, Pier Giorgio’s inclinations to help others manifested in his childhood. Once as a child, he answered the door to find a mother begging with her son who was shoeless. He took off his own shoes and gave them to the child; 2. At an early age, Pier Giorgio joined the Marian Sodality and the Apostleship of Prayer, and obtained permission to receive daily Communion, which was rare at the time. 3. At the same time, Pier Giorgio was known among his friends as “Il Terrore” (“the Terror”) due to his fondness for practical jokes. 4. At 17, he joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society and dedicated much of his spare time to take care of the poor, the homeless, the sick and the demobilized servicemen returning from World War I. 5. In 1919, he joined the Catholic Student Foundation and the Popular Party, whose principles were based in the Social Doctrine of the Church. He strongly opposed the rise of Fascist leader Benito Mussolini and was jailed in Rome after joining the protest of the Catholic Workers’ Association. 6. Pier Giorgio would be notable for giving literally everything he had to the poor. He would even use his bus fare for charity and then run home to be on time for meals. 7. An avid and accomplished mountain-climber, he saw many parallels between Catholic life and his favorite pastime. He would regularly organize trips into the mountains with occasions for prayers and conversations about faith on the way up or down from the summit. 8. After what would become his final climb he wrote a simple note on a photograph: “Verso L’Alto” (“To the Heights”)–a phrase that has become a popular Catholic motto. 9. At 24, Pier Giorgio became very ill with polio. Some of his friends believed that he contracted the disease from the people in the slums of Turin. In his last days, he whispered the names of people who still needed assistance to his family and friends who gathered at his bedside. He died on July 4, 1925 (aged 24) at Turin, Kingdom of Italy. Bl. Pier Giorgio’s mortal remains were found incorrupt in 1981 and were transferred from the family tomb in the cemetery of Pollone to the Cathedral of Turin. 10. Frassati was declared “Blessed” on May 29, 1990 by Pope St. John Paul II, who called him a “Man of the Eight Beatitudes” and a “joyful apostle of Christ.” A year before, after visiting his tomb, Pope John Paul II revealed that he also had felt in his own youth “the beneficial influence of his example.” He left the world rather young,” he said, “but he made a mark upon our entire century.” 11. In her biography of her brother, Pier Giorgio’s sister, Luciana wrote that “he represented the finest in Christian youth: pure, happy, enthusiastic about everything that is good and beautiful.” 12. Pier Giorgio’s popularity is big among young people, especially in America. Many apostolates have been created with his name and he is currently regarded as the Catholic patron of Students (mainly because he wasn’t good at school), Young Catholics, Mountaineers, Youth groups, Catholic Action, Dominican tertiaries (he became one), and World Youth Day. According to the website dedicated to him by the USCCB, for years he has been “a significant global patron for youth and young adults – and has a special place in the hearts of young people across the United States as well. Pope St. John Paul II declared him a patron for World Youth Days and deemed him the “Man of the Eight Beatitudes” as he exemplified those blessings in his everyday life” at his beatification on May 20, 1990 at Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City. His feast day is July 4th.
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati ~ Pray for us🙏
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today, Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Gospel Reading ~ Matthew 9:1-8
“They glorified God who had given such authority to men”
“After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”– he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men.”
In today’s Gospel reading, people carried a paralyzed man to Jesus on a stretcher. He couldn’t make his own way to Jesus in search of healing, so they carried him. It was an act of love, of care and compassion. There are times in all our lives when, like the paralytic, we need to be carried by others, even if not physically carried. There comes a time in our lives when we need the support of others to take us places we cannot reach ourselves. There are other times when we might find ourselves in the role of the people who carried the paralytic. We find ourselves in a position of being able to support someone who needs our support at that time. We help carry them until they can find their own feet. This is the human story at its best. It is also, of course, the Christian story. It is said in today’s Gospel reading that when people brought the paralytic to Jesus, he saw their faith, ‘seeing their faith’. Underpinning this act of love was a deep faith. Saint Paul in one of his letters speaks about faith working through love, or faith expressing itself in love. Genuine faith will always find expression in acts of loving service. Nothing is said of the faith of the paralytic. Seeing the faith of the people who carried the paralytic, Jesus then addresses Himself to the man Himself. It was the faith of others that brought this man to Jesus. There is an image here of the church. As people of faith, we are called to bring each other to the Lord. When our own faith is weak, we need the faith of others to bring us to the Lord, to open us up to the Lord’s presence. Today’s Gospel reading invites us to give thanks to God for all those who have brought us to the Lord in some way, perhaps teachers, Priests, religious sisters or brothers, friends and, for most of us, parents who were the first to bring us to the Lord when they presented us for baptism.
Our first reading today is the continuation of the story of the prophet Amos and his ministry among the people of the northern kingdom of the Israelites, where today we heard of the encounter and confrontation between Amaziah, a priest of Bethel against Amos. In order to understand better the context of what we heard of this confrontation and the exchange between the two of them, we must understand the history of how the Bethel priesthood even came to be, which was actually a history spanning few centuries earlier before the time of Amos. Back then, during the time when the kingdom of Israel under David and Solomon was still united, the whole people of God, the Israelites had one King and they all worshipped the Lord in His Temple in Jerusalem, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed in. However, once the kingdom was divided into two parts because of the sins of Solomon and his descendants, the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel and Judah respectively became embroiled in conflicts and wars, and one of the initiatives of the northern kingdom was to establish a rival priesthood and temple in Bethel to rival that of Jerusalem, obliging the people of Israel to go to Bethel instead of Jerusalem. Not only that but the then king Jeroboam also built a golden calf idol to represent their god, and this led the people of Israel into sin against God, as they came to worship false idols and pagan gods instead of obeying the Lord’s Law and commandments and worshipping Him alone as they were supposed to do. The prophet Amos was sent like the many other prophets of God before him to tell the people of Israel to abandon their sinful ways, and to bring forth the premonition and warning of the punishments they would have to endure for their disobedience. Prophet Amos answered Amaziah’s rebuke of him with stern words of the Lord, and told him that he had been sent by God Himself to prophesy among the Israelites, with the mission from God to bring this truth and the revelations to the people who have disobeyed Him and refused to believe in Him despite the constant efforts and outreach from the Lord to them, in sending them help, guidance, reminders and assistance one after another. The Lord has always been patient in loving and caring for all of them, however, there is indeed a limit to His patience, and all the sins and wickedness that those people had committed, those things could not be ignored either. The prophet Amos told the people of their impending fate of being defeated, conquered and exiled by their conquerors, which would happen at that time, when the Assyrians conquered Israel, the northern kingdom, destroyed its cities and brought the people into exile in far-off lands.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, each and every one of us are reminded that we must always have faith and trust in the Lord for each and every one of us are His followers and disciples, and we are all called and expected to do what He has commanded us to do, to obey His Law and commandments and to follow Him wholeheartedly in all of our ways. Each and every one of us who have put our faith and trust in the Lord, as Christians, we must always be genuine in how we live our lives with fullness of faith in the Lord, and our lives, our every actions, words and deeds should always be exemplary and filled with God’s love and grace, as much as possible. This is our calling as Christians, and we should do well to heed it. Let us all hence be inspired by the good examples of the Saints and Holy men and women, particularly St. Elizabeth of Portugal who we celebrate today, so that our own lives and examples may become good inspiration and role models for all others around us. Let us all renew our faith in the Lord, committing ourselves to live a more worthy and virtuous life, and no longer harden our hearts like our predecessors, like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, and like the Israelites before them. Let us all be humble and allow the Lord to lead and guide us all in our journey through life, and may He continue to bless us all in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to see God’s love and presence in others and may all of us grow ever more in our faith and trust more in the Lord with each and every passing days as we continue journeying together in faith, now and forevermore. Amen🙏
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF JULY:
THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS: The month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood. The feast of the Precious Blood of our Lord was instituted in 1849 by Pius IX, but the devotion is as old as Christianity. The early Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood.
“The Precious Blood which we worship is the Blood which the Savior shed for us on Calvary and reassumed at His glorious Resurrection; it is the Blood which courses through the veins of His risen, glorified, living body at the right hand of God the Father in heaven; it is the Blood made present on our altars by the words of Consecration; it is the Blood which merited sanctifying grace for us and through it washes and beautifies our soul and inaugurates the beginning of eternal life in it.”
PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYER: Almighty, and everlasting God, who hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son to be the Redeemer of the world, and hast been pleased to be reconciled unto us by His Blood, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate with solemn worship the price of our salvation, that the power thereof may here on earth keep us from all things hurtful, and the fruit of the same may gladden us for ever hereafter in heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen 🙏🏾
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2024: FOR THE MONTH OF JULY – FOR THE PASTORAL CARE OF THE SICK: We pray that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick confer to those who receive it and their loved ones the power of the Lord and become ever more a visible sign of compassion and hope for all.
https://www.usccb.org/prayers/popes-monthly-intentions-2024
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 beķķen in vain. Now, Lord, come to our ajnid! 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 Ordinary Time, 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 🙏
Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/
PRAYER INTENTIONS: During this season of the Ordinary Time, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for our children and children all over the world, we pray for their health, safety and well-being, we particularly pray for those who have no one to care for them and those who are terminally ill, we pray for God’s Divine healing upon them. Every life is a gift. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the gentle soul of our beloved family members who recently passed away and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. For all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for Vocation to the Priesthood and Religious life. We particularly pray for all Youths and all Seminarians, with special intention for those Seminarians who will be ordained into Priesthood. For the Church, for persecuted Christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners and Christians all over the world. Amen🙏
Let us pray:
My merciful Lord, You desire reconciliation with me, in the innermost depths of my heart, to be my daily priority in prayer. You desire to forgive and to heal me so that I will grow closer to You. Please do forgive me for my sins, dear Lord, and help me to become more attentive to the ways that I sin against You and others every day. Thank You in advance for this saving grace and mercy. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen🙏
Save Us, Savior of the World. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Precious Blood of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Most Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Elizabeth of Portugal; Saint Bertha of Artois; Saint Ulric of Augsburg and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati ~ Pray for us🙏
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us. Amen🙏
Thanking God for the gift of this day and praying for justice, peace, love, and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Have a blessed and safe 4th of July and fruitful month of July🙏
Blessings and Love always, Philomena💖