Tree of Life

  Today we honor Mary under the title of “Help of Christians”. We recall how as our loving Mother in Heaven She will always come to our aid and ask Jesus to have mercy on us. Today is also designated as the Day of Prayer for the Church in China. The latter is due to the persecution of Christians happening in that nation.  Under  the usual conditions  a plenary indulgence can be gained for visiting a church on its titular feast day, Cheektowaga NY has the Our Lady Help of Christians pilgrimage site. About Mary, Help of Christians Official Prayer for the Chinese Church

  Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God and Mother of the Church, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ!  Today we honor Mary as the Mother of the Church. This is because of Her presence at the birth of the Church at Pentecost which we commemorated yesterday. Today honors Mary as Mother of all Christians and that Her Motherhood is not limited to the “capital C” church as in Catholics only but instead She is the mother of the community of all Christian believers that is whoever does profess Her Son, Jesus Christ to be the Son of God. For it is only by the Holy Spirit that we can proclaim Jesus as Lord and as we recall the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost we also reflect on Mary’s role in Christianity. Following the feast of Pentecost, Mary continued to nurture the Church just as She nurtured Her Son, Jesus. While on the cross Jesus commended the Blessed Mother to us by His saying “Behold your Mother” to John, the Holy Spirit emboldens the Apostles to go ou...

St. Matthias, pray for us!  Today we honor St. Matthias the disciple who was voted by the apostles to replace Judas and to be a witness to Christ’s resurrection. A plenary indulgence can be gained under  the usual conditions  by visiting a church named for the Saint of the day and praying the Our Father and Apostle’s Creed. Who is St. Matthias? St. Matthias Iconography  St. Matthias’ Election in a Mystical Vision   (2nd paragraph under #428) Matthias is Elected (clip)  St. Matthias’ Relics  St. Gertrude on St. Matthias’ Feast  (noted as in February from previous calendar)  May 14th also marks the anniversary of the tragic racially charged shooting in Buffalo New York. Take time today to reflect on the injustice in our society and the evil of racism that can only be eradicated by the love that comes from God. In a particular way this year we also focus on the grief and pain of the people of Palestine .

Each Saint has a special feast day and many saints have customs celebrated by devotees on their feasts. Amongst the different categories of Saints such as Confessors and Martyrs this post is dedicated to those selected by Christ Himself and the Evangelists. The Apostles of Christ are listed below, saints marked with (*) have a separate blog post (or a few in St. Peter’s case) throughout the year. A plenary indulgence can be gained under  the usual conditions  by visiting a church named for the Saint of the day and praying the Our Father and Apostle’s Creed. Today’s Saints share their feast because their relics are in the same church. Who is St. James? Who is St. Philip?  St. Philip Iconography  St. James Iconography  In 2024 the feast of Saints Philip and James is on the First Friday of May.  May is also  Mental Health Awareness Month

  Every first Thursday in May marks the National Day of Prayer. It is an ecumenical and non partisan day set aside to ask God to bless America’s people and leaders to do what is right.  About the National Day of Prayer A Prayer to Mary Immaculate, America’s Patroness The History of Mary as America’s Patroness