Saint Marcellinus was a Pope in Rome during years 291-304. He was beheaded during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. Saint Marcellinus was known for the encouragement he gave to the people to join the Church. He took the last ultimate step for God which is martyrdom. Many people after him followed in his footsteps and continued to evangelize people. Many people did not appreciate Marcellinus’ efforts in bringing people to God but that didn’t stop him because he had faith that God will bring people to him.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Dear Father in heaven, the worst event in the world was the crucifixion of Jesus yet You brought redemption to mankind through this horrible deed. Saint Marcellinus also suffered a similar fate at the hands of his enemies, but through Your promise of eternal life, we know that he now lives in glory with You forever. Thank you, Father, for your love and mercy. Amen
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Saint Justin Martyr is today's commemorated saint. Saint Justin was born in 100 AD at Flavia Neapolis, Judea. Justin never ended his quest for religious truth even when he converted to Christianity after years of studying various pagan philosophies. He was principally attracted to the school of Plato. He found that the Christian religion answered the great questions about life and existence better than the philosophers. Upon his conversion he continued to wear the philosopher’s mantle, and became the first Christian philosopher. He combined the Christian religion with the best elements in Greek philosophy. In his view, philosophy was a pedagogue of Christ, an educator that was to lead one to Christ.Justin is known as an apologist, one who defends in writing the Christian religion against the attacks and misunderstandings of the pagans. Two of his so-called apologies have come down to us; they are addressed to the Roman emperor and to the Senate. For his staunch adherence to the Christian religion, Justin was beheaded in Rome in 165.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER O God who revealed to Saint Justin in the sufferings of the Cross, the great wisdom of Jesus Christ, grant that through the pleadings of Your Martyr and our Patron we may overcome the many errors that surround us and that our faith may grow ever stronger. In deep humility we pray to the Lord for the strength to imitate Saint Justin in his constant efforts to make known the riches of the Faith to his fellowmen. Grant us the grace to be ever mindful of the many blessings we have received from You. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. Today is the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Immediately after the Annunciation, Mary left Nazareth and went to the city of Judah to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, at the sound of her voice, John leapt for joy. Even though he was still in his mother’s womb, John became aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit and received the gifts of the Spirit. Elizabeth declares to Mary “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” In response to Elizabeth’s remark, Mary proclaimed the Magnificat. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months until returning back to Nazareth. INTERCESSORY PRAYER Help us to follow the intercession of Virgin Mary to put other people's needs before our own and to trust the will of God. Amen. Saint Joan of Arc was born in 1412 to a peasant couple in Paris. Joan was only 12 when she experienced a vision and heard voices that she later identified as Saints Michael the Archangel, Catherine of Alexandria, and Margaret of Antioch.During the Hundred Years War, Joan led French troops against the English and recaptured the cities of Orléans and Troyes.This enabled Charles VII to be crowned as king in Reims in 1429. Captured near Compiegne the following year, Joan was sold to the English and placed on trial for heresy and witchcraft. In the end, she was condemned for wearing men’s clothes. The English resented France’s military success–to which Joan contributed. On this day in 1431, she was burned at the stake in Rouen and her ashes were scattered in the Seine River. Remembered by most people for her military exploits, Joan had a great love for the sacraments, which strengthened her compassion toward the poor. Popular devotion to her increased greatly in 19th-century France and later among French soldiers during World War I.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER In the face of your enemies, in the face of harassment, ridicule, and doubt, you held firm in your faith. Even in your abandonment, alone and without friends, you held firm in your faith. Even as you faced your own mortality, you held firm in your faith. I pray that I may be as bold in my beliefs as you, St. Joan. I ask that you ride alongside me in my own battles. Help me be mindful that what is worthwhile can be won when I persist. Help me hold firm in my faith. Help me believe in my ability to act well and wisely. Amen. St Madeline is most known for her founding of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in France, in the early 1800s. St Madeline was born in December 12, and was educated by her older brother, who kept strict discipline with her. He later became a priest, and on recommendations, Madeline also entered the religious life as a sister.
She helped coordinate the founding of the first convent and school in Amiens in 1802. The sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart if Jesus, collectively decided to appoint Madeline as their superior in the society, which she was for the next 63 years. During her life, she founded over a 100 convents and schools through 12 countries, helping to spread the society through France and surrounding countries. INTERCESSORY PRAYER Sacred Heart of Jesus, Give me a heart that is one with your own; A humble heart that knows and loves its nothingness; A gentle heart that holds and calms its own anxiety; A loving heart that has compassion for the suffering of others; A pure heart that recoils even at the appearance of evil; A detached heart that longs for nothing other than the goodness of heaven; A heart detached from self-love and embraced by the love of God, Its attention focused on God, Its goodness its only treasure in time and in eternity. Pierre Toussaint was born and raised as a Catholic slave in Haiti when it was still a French colony. To escape the slave rebellions that eventually drove out the French government, Toussaint’s owners fled, with him, to New York. He was assigned as an apprentice to one of the city’s leading hairdressers, and became quite successful. When his slave-owner died, Toussaint quietly supported his owner’s widow. She, in gratitude, freed Toussaint from his slave status. Toussaint later married and used his considerable wealth to support charitable causes, including work against religious and racial prejudice. Toussaint’s death in 1853, at age 87, sparked widespread mourning. Just 13 years ago, Pope John Paul II declared Pierre Toussaint, Venerable- the first step to becoming a saint.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER O virtuous Pierre Toussaint, son of Haiti, pray for all the poor and afflicted. Pray especially for your brothers and sisters in Haiti as they seek freedom from the oppression of poverty and calamity. Through your prayerful intercession, strengthen the weak, enrich the poor, comfort the downcast and inspire courage and hope among all those who struggle each day. Amen. Saint Augustine of Canterbury was known for how he converted many people to Christianity including King Ethelbert. This conversion of millions of people began when the pope of that time, Pope Gregory I chose him to lead a missionary group to England. Since eventually the king himself was baptized, his subjects also converted to Christianity. In the end, St. Augustine’s only failure was to convert people in Wales, England. St. Augustine died in about the year of 604, a few years after he was designated, archbishop.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Let us pray, to become like Saint Augustine of Canterbury. Let us pray that we are able to openly profess our faith and love for God. Amen St. Philip Neri was a Christian missionary who gave up his early life as businessman to dedicate his life to God. He founded the Congregation of the Oratory, a community of Catholic priests and lay brothers. St. Philip Neri is venerated as the patron of Rome, the US Special Forces, humor, and joy.. He was born on July 21, 1515 to a family of four children. At the age of 18, he was visiting a wealthy relative in hopes of inheriting the family business. However, it was here that he experienced a vision that changed his life. St. Philip Neri credits this encounter with God where he was called to live for and serve Jesus and the Church as the reason for his Christian conversion. Following this, Philip left Florence for Rome. He spent the following two years in solitary, dedicating a lot of time to prayer. After studying theology and philosophy at St. Augustine’s monastery, Philip set out to help the poor in Rome. He was known for his warm personality and sense of humor, spreading the love of God to every corner of Rome. He spent his days helping the needy, and spent the nights for praying. Philip who had accomplished so much was finally ordained to priesthood in 1551. He founded the Congregation of the Priests of the Oratory to encourage his fellow pilgrims and other priests to deepen their faith, together. The organization was officially recognized by Pope Gregory XIII in 1575. Philip was described as "all things to all men.... When he was called upon to be merry, he was so; if there was a demand upon his sympathy, he was equally ready...”. Philip was respected and loved throughout Rome, a trusted advisor to popes, kings, cardinals and just as important to the poor. On May 25, 1595, Philip’s physician informed him of his crippling health. At midnight of May 26, he passed away at 80 years of age. St. Philip Neri was canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER O holy St. Philip Neri, patron saint of joy, you who trusted Scripture’s promise that the Lord is always at hand and that we need not have anxiety about anything, in your compassion heal our worries and sorrows and lift the burdens from our hearts. We come to you as one whose heart swells with abundant love for God and all creation. Hear us, we pray, especially in this need (make your request here). Keep us safe through your loving intercession, and may the joy of the Holy Spirit which filled your heart, St. Philip, transform our lives and bring us peace. Amen Saint Bede the Venerable is the patron saint of scholars. He is one of the few saints that was honored during his lifetime and after. His writings were filled with such faith that a church council ordered them to be read publicly in the churches. Saint Bede was deeply interesting in all the sciences of his time : natural philosophy, the philosophical principles of Aristotle, astronomy, arithmetic, grammar, ecclesiastical history, the lives of saints and of course the Holy Scripture. Saint Bede was ordained a deacon at age 19 and a priest at 30. He wrote 45 books, 30 being commentaries on books of the Bible. Saint Bede also worked on a translation of the Gospel of John into English, eventually completing it on the day of his death. Saint Bede the Venerable died in year 735, praying his favorite prayer : “ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As in the beginning, so now and forever.”
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Saint Bede we call upon you during these times to help us stay faithful to the Lord. You have enlightened the church with your love and teachings. Support us so that we may learn from your wisdom and benefit from your prayers. Through Christ our Lord, Amen. St Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi was born Caterina de' Pazzi, on April 2nd 1566 to Camillo di Geri de’ Pazzi, who was a member of one Florence’s most noble families, and Maria Buondelmonti. She was sometimes called Lucrezia, after her grandmother, Lucrezia Mannucci. At about age nine, she learned how to meditate using the family chaplain. This was also the time when she started practicing mortification of the flesh by self-flagellation, wearing sackcloth and wearing a homemade crown of thorns. She received Holy Communion at the age of ten. That same year she made a vow of virginity. She had her first ecstasy when she was 12, in the presence of her mother. From then on, she had many of these visions. When she was fourteen, Caterina was sent by her father to the monastery of the order of Malta. But soon she was called to marry a young nobleman. Then Caterina reminded her father of her vow of virginity and she was allowed to lead a religious life. She went to the Carmelite monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in the city of Florence because she was allowed to have Holy Communion daily. She was accepted as a novice and took the name, Sister Mary Magdalene. When she was only one year into her religious profession she got gravely ill. When one of the sisters asked how she could suffer without a whisper, Mary pointed to the crucifix and said “Those who call to mind the sufferings of Christ, and who offer up their own to God through His passion, find their pains sweet and pleasant.” When death seemed so close her superiors let her make her profession of religious vows during a private ceremony, while she laid on a cot. Immediately after that she fell into another ecstasy that lasted 2 hours. This continued for the next 40 days but after Holy Communion. Mary died on May 25, 1607, at the age of 41. She was buried in the church quire. At her canonization in 1668 her body was found to be miraculously incorrupt. Her relics are buried in the Monastery of Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi in Careggi, Italy.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, we ask your divine intercession before your Mystical Spouse to give all Religious the gift of perseverance, obedience, and poverty. Your spiritual ecstasies were unique—and destined for few. Grant those gifts that are common—and destined for many. |