Lenten Reflection: Meet/Salute The Seven Women Saints Named In The Eucharistic Prayer At Mass

March 8, 2024 Friday Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: Meet/Salute The Seven Women Saints Named In The Eucharistic Prayer At Mass

The early Christians were persecuted, throughout the Roman Empire. Seven Women Saints stand out and are often venerated during Mass.

"One day, however, I realized something incredible: In this long Eucharistic Prayer, several women are mentioned. Stunned, my thoughts crowded together. This prayer has been around since th" early days of the Church. For CENTURIES, in societies where women were looked down upon, Catholic priests have been mentioning specific women right after the Consecration!"' AnneMarie Miller. The Women of the Canon (and why they’re awesome)









In Day 187 of Father Mike Schmitz's CIY podcast titled Sacrificial Unity, he covers paragraphs 1369 to 1372 of the Catholic Catechism. The Catholic Catechism Part Two, paragraphs 1322 - 1419 covers the Celebration of the Christian Mystery


Originally the Roman Empire was polytheistic and emperors were deified. As Christianity spread through the empire, it came into ideological conflict with the imperial cult of ancient Rome. Pagan practices such as making sacrifices to the deified emperors or other gods were abhorrent to Christians as their beliefs prohibited idolatry. The state, the elites and other members of civic society punished Christians for treason, rumored crimes, illegal assembly, and for introducing an alien cult that led to Roman apostasy. The first, localized Neronian persecution occurred under Emperor Nero (r. 54–68
According to Tacitus, Nero blamed Christians for the Great Fire of Rome in 64,  which destroyed portions of the city and economically devastated the Roman population.

During this period, anti-Christian activities were accusatory and not inquisitive. Christians were accused and prosecuted through a process termed cognitio extra ordinem. Trials and punishments varied greatly, and sentences ranged from acquittal to death. Many early Christians were jailed or exiled and some, refusing to renounce their faith, were tortured and killed in public stadiums for all to see.

The names of some of these saints, and specifically seven women are mentioned as part of the First Eucharistic Prayer of the
Mass known as the Roman Canon. The Canon of the Mass is the first of four general eucharistic prayers in the Roman Missal from which the priest may select. More commonly called Eucharistic Prayer 1, it is also known by its former title, “the Roman Canon,” and it served as the only eucharistic prayer in the Roman rite for more than a thousand years. Regarding mentioning the saints, the final seven names listed in the Roman Canon, each Eucharistic Prayer has its own characteristics. Before Pope John XXIII added St. Joseph, the Roman Canon traditionally listed 24 saints (12 apostles and 12 martyrs) in two separate groups.

The full list is:

First: Peter and Paul, Andrew, (James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Jude [apostles], Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus, Cornelius, [5 Popes] Cyprian [bishop of Carthage], Lawrence [deacon], Chrysogonus, John and Paul, Cosmas and Damian [5 laymen]).

Second: John the Baptist, Stephen [deacon protomartyr], Matthias, Barnabas [apostles], (Ignatius [bishop of Antioch], Alexander [Pope], Marcellinus [priest, Peter [exorcist], Felicity, Perpetua [2 married laywomen of Carthage], Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia [4 virgins], Anastasia [laywoman of Sirmium]).


The final seven names listed in the Roman Canon (the “First Eucharistic Prayer” or “Eucharistic Prayer I”) are women saints of the Church. Sts. Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, and Anastasia are all saints of the Roman Empire in the early Church. Of course, the Blessed Virgin Mary is also mentioned by name in the Roman Canon;

Sts. Felicity and Perpetua

St. Felicity was the pregnant servant girl of St. Perpetua. They were both thrown to the lions in the Roman province of Carthage in Africa in the very early third century. A high-born noblewoman, Perpetua cared for her young infant while in prison. She was 22 years old at the time.

St. Felicity gave birth just days before her martyrdom. Despite the torrent of suffering at the end of their young lives, these women exuded the care of a mother’s heart. St. Perpetua and her servant St. Felicity were martyred by beheading for refusing to denounce Christ.

St. Agatha was a third-century Sicilian woman who was accused of being Christian and imprisoned. As a young girl, she was said to have chosen Jesus as her spouse. A martyr, St. Agatha finally gave up her spirit in prayer while being horrendously tortured.


St. Lucy, like St. Agatha, was a Sicilian noblewoman. She was blinded, and was also pulled by oxen, covered in pitch, resin, and hot oil, and then died by having her throat cut. She died along many other Christian martyrs under the persecution of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.

St. Agnes was the daughter of a wealthy Roman in the fourth century. She was a twelve-year-old girl whose name means “Lamb” in Latin. St. Jerome writes of her: “Agnes is praised in the literature and speech of all peoples, especially in the Churches, she who overcame both her age and the tyrant, and consecrated by her martyrdom to chastity.”

St. Cecilia, patron saint of musicians, married a pagan man named Valerian. Seeing her love of the Lord, her husband and his brother converted to Christianity. The pagan prefect of the city learned this and ordered that she be killed in her own home. She survived and was stabbed in the neck; according to legend, she lived for three more days building others up in the faith and asking that her home be converted into a church. Her husband and his brother also met the death of a martyr.

Anastasia, which in Greek means “to rise again” or “resurrection” was from Rome and was martyred in modern-day Serbia in 304 A.D. along with 270 other men and women. She was known to be a miraculous healer and an exorcist.






In Catholic Mom, AnneMarie Miller in her piece
"The Women of the Canon (and why they’re awesome)," writes:


"One day, however, I realized something incredible: In this long Eucharistic Prayer, several women are mentioned. Stunned, my thoughts crowded together. This prayer has been around since the early days of the Church. For CENTURIES, in societies where women were looked down upon, Catholic priests have been mentioning specific women right after the Consecration! As I think about these women of the early Church, I’m touched by what I can learn from them. First off, there’s the Blessed Virgin Mary. Next, there’s Felicity and Perpetua. Then, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, and Cecilia. Finally, there’s Anastasia. All of these women gave their lives completely to God. Mary said “yes” to becoming the mother of our Savior, and she continued offering this “yes” all throughout her life. The other women followed Mary’s example in their own lives of service to others and dedication to God. For example, before she was tortured and killed, St. Anastasia would visit and feed imprisoned Christians. Perpetua, while being imprisoned, cared for her young baby, and Felicity gave birth just before she was killed. Lucy, Agnes, Agatha, and Cecilia were all very young when they were martyred. All of these women were bold, courageous, and loving. Mothers and virgins, married and unmarried, they embodied sacrificial love in their lives. The eight women of the Roman Canon remind me that we all may have different lifestyles and vocations, but all of us are called to be holy in a radical way. St. Perpetua wrote an account of her imprisonment in 203 A.D., and after recounting a vision she had, makes a declaration that throbs with hope:

And I awoke; and I understood that I should fight, not with beasts but against the devil; but I knew that mine was the victory. (The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity)

As AnneMarie so aptly puts it: Let’s ask them to help us as we pursue God, and as we struggle to accept His will in an increasingly secular culture. Mary, Mother of God, pray for us! Sts. Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, and Anastasia, pray for us!

More Selected Lenten Reflections

Selected Lenten Reflections: Mother St. Joseph , Noblewoman sold it all



Selected Lent Reflections: 40 Hours of Devotion

March 7, 2024 Thursday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: 40 Hours Devotion

March 5, 2024 Tuesday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: 24 Hours for the Lord

Pope Francis will open the 11th edition of the "24 Hours For The Lord" Lenten initiative this Friday, March 8, at the Roman parish of San Pio V.

March 4, 2024 Monday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: Eucharistic Miracle

Eucharistic Miracle findings presented March 4 1971: Dr. Linoli concluded the "miraculous flesh and blood," were of human origin. He presented his findings on March 4, 1971 and published in "Quaderni Sclavo di Diagnostica Clinica e di Laboratori" the same year.

March 4, 2024 Monday of Third week of Lent - Selected Reflections: See a need, fill a need, Myrtilla Miner

"If God allows me to live, I will devote my entire life to teaching slaves" - Myrtilla Miner

March 2, 2024, Third Saturday of Lent - Selected Reflections: The Power of Prayer, Padre Pio

February 29, 2024, Thursday, the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections: Leap for Joy!

The only Leap Year Pope is Pope Paul III, born on Italy on February 29, 1468

February 28, 2024, Wednesday the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections: Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican


When my neighbor fails to kill my family, then calls me to visit him in prison. What do I do?


February 26, 2024, Monday of the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections

"The only time our Lord asked the apostles for anything was the night He went into agony. Not for activity did he plead but for an hour of companionship." - Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

February 23 2024 Friday, First Week of Lent, Selected Lenten Reflections: Servant of God Julia Greely


February 22 2024 Thursday, First Week of Lent, Selected Lenten Reflections: Blessed Carlo Acutis Highway to Heaven
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Selected Lenten Reflections: Mother St. Joseph , Noblewoman sold it all

Mother St. Joseph, SNDdeN, also known as Marie Louise Françoise Blin de Bourdon was born 8 March 1756, Gézaincourt. Françoise Blin de Bourdon, a wealthy French noblewoman and a close friend of St. Julie Billiart, together co-founded the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.





Françoise grew up with a doting grandmother, a home on a luxurious estate, and access to the upper echelons of 18th-century French society. As a member of the nobility, she was taught by the Bernardine Sisters and later the Ursuline Sisters.

Françoise, whose family belonged to the French aristocracy and nobility, had been presented at the court of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in Versailles. French revolutionists imprisoned and guillotined the king and queen. Then they began executing members of the aristocracy and clergy. Françoise herself was imprisoned, while awaiting execution. Just one day before her date with the guillotine, Maximilian Robespierre, the mastermind of the French Revolution, fell from power, and Françoise was freed.


When her mother died in 1784, it was a life-changing experience: she attended daily Mass and spent her time on charitable works.



She returned to visiting the sick and the poor and that led her to St. Julie Billiart who, paralyzed and bedridden, was a guest in the home of Françoise’s brother in Amiens.

At first, Françoise found visiting the sick woman distasteful. Gradually a strong friendship grew between them. With St. Julie’s guidance, she spent her whole life letting go of anything that could come between her and God. Eventually Francoise told St. Julie of her dream to join the Carmelites.
Francoise never become a Carmelite, instead she and St. Julie co-founded the Sisters of Notre Damede Namur, a religious community that educated poor, young girls and trained teachers.


Francoise wrote the “Memoirs” that tell us so much about St. Julie and the early history of the Congregation. Françoise also provided a spiritual foundation by writing the first “Rule,” which described the spirit of the religious congregation and the way of life for the Sisters. She was the Congregation’s first “donor,” providing the financial support from her family inheritance which enabled the Sisters to expand during the early years. She succeeded St. Julie as the superior general (worldwide leader) of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.



Saint Mathew tells us: " 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. 22 When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions" Chapter 19

Before her death, Mother St. Joseph had given away all her material goods.

Mother St. Joseph, pray that we may learn to store treasure in heave.

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Selected Lent Reflections: 40 Hours of Devotion

March 7, 2024 Thursday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: 40 Hours Devotion

March 5, 2024 Tuesday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: 24 Hours for the Lord

Pope Francis will open the 11th edition of the "24 Hours For The Lord" Lenten initiative this Friday, March 8, at the Roman parish of San Pio V.

March 4, 2024 Monday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: Eucharistic Miracle

Eucharistic Miracle findings presented March 4 1971: Dr. Linoli concluded the "miraculous flesh and blood," were of human origin. He presented his findings on March 4, 1971 and published in "Quaderni Sclavo di Diagnostica Clinica e di Laboratori" the same year.

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"If God allows me to live, I will devote my entire life to teaching slaves" - Myrtilla Miner

March 2, 2024, Third Saturday of Lent - Selected Reflections: The Power of Prayer, Padre Pio

February 29, 2024, Thursday, the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections: Leap for Joy!

The only Leap Year Pope is Pope Paul III, born on Italy on February 29, 1468

February 28, 2024, Wednesday the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections: Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican


When my neighbor fails to kill my family, then calls me to visit him in prison. What do I do?


February 26, 2024, Monday of the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections

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February 22 2024 Thursday, First Week of Lent, Selected Lenten Reflections: Blessed Carlo Acutis Highway to Heaven
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Selected Lent Reflections: 40 Hours of Devotion

March 7, 2024 Thursday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: 40 Hours Devotion 

The Catholic Catechism (1360) teaches that  The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means first of all "thanksgiving."

St. John Neumann, fourth bishop of Philadelphia, introduced the first Forty Hours Devotion at the Church of St. Philip Neri on May 26, 1853, the Feast of Corpus Christi, in honor of the church's patron.

In 40 Hours Devotion, the consecrated Eucharist is exposed on the altar in a monstrance for adoration for 40 hours. The tradition is tied to repentance, and usually observed during Lent or Advent




Saint John Neumann started the 40 Hours of Devotion in a time of strong anti-Catholic sentiment, and despite the hostility of the Know Nothing party. Not unlike the persecution the Church is not only seeing today but throughout its history.


Between 1894 and 1924, Muslims decimated the Christian Community in Asia Minor: the number of Christiansfell from 3-4 million to just tens of thousand: from 20% of the area’s population to under 2%. The descendants of Turkey’s Christians, many of them dispersed around the world since the 1920s, maintain that the Turks murdered about half of their forebears and expelled the rest: Turkey’s Armenian, Greek and Assyrian (or Syriac) communities disappeared as a result of a staggered campaign of genocide beginning in 1894, perpetrated against them by their Muslim neighbors. By 1924, the Christian communities of Turkey and its adjacent territories had been destroyed.

The practice of 40 Hours Devotion dates back to 1527, introduced by St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria in Milan and Vicenza, and spread by St. Ignatius and the Jesuits. St. Anthony was an early leader of the Counter Reformation, the founder of religious the Barnabites and a promoter of the devotion to the Passion of Christ, the Eucharist and the renewal of the religious life among the laity.

When the Archdiocese of Milan asked for an indulgence for 40 Hours Devotion in 1539, where Spanish commanding officer Francisco de Sarmiento and his captain refused to surrender. During the siege, the Muslim army suffered heavy losses due to the stubborn resistance of Sarmiento's men. However, Castelnuovo eventually fell and almost all the Spanish defenders, including Sarmiento, were killed. In this environment, Pope Paul III wrote:

“Since our beloved son the Vicar General of the Archbishop of Milan, at the prayer of the inhabitants of the said city, in order to appease the anger of God provoked by the offenses of Christians, and in order to bring to nought the efforts and machinations of the Turks who are pressing forward to the destruction of Christendom, amongst other pious practices, has established a round of prayers and supplications to be offered by day and night by all the qaqqq of Christ, before our Lord’s Most Sacred Body, in all the churches of the said city, in such a manner that these prayers and supplication are made by the faithful themselves relieving each other in relays for forty hours continuously in each church in succession, according to the order determined by the Vicar… We approving in our Lord so pious an institution, grant and remit.”



Fifty years later Pope Clement VIII in his 1592 letter “Graves et diuturnae,” wrote

"To Our Venerable Brothers the Bishops, to the Clergy, and to the Swiss People who enjoy Grace and Communion with the ApostolicP ope Clement V

Venerable Brothers, Greetings and Apostolic Blessing.

The serious and long-lasting plots and efforts which the new heretics who call themselves Old Catholics use daily in your country to deceive the faithful and to tear them away from their ancient faith, urge Us, as a duty of Our supreme apostolate, to zealously devote Our paternal care and attention to protecting the spiritual welfare of our children. We are aware, and We sorrowfully deplore the fact, that these schismatics and heretics who enjoy the favor of the civil authority exercise the ministry of their wicked sect in the region of the diocese of Basel as in other regions of your country while the religious freedom of Catholics remains publicly oppressed by schismatic laws."


Pope Clement further declared:
“We have determined to establish publicly in this Mother City of Rome an uninterrupted course of prayer in such ways that in the different churches, on appointed days, there be observed the pious and salutary devotion of the Forty Hours, with such an arrangement of churches and times that, at every hour of the day and night, the whole year round the incense of prayer shall ascend without intermission before the face of the Lord.”


While the Forty Hours Devotion nurtures the love of the faithful for our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, three special dimensions havIe also surrounded this devotion: the protection from evil and temptation; reparation for our own sins and for the Poor Souls in Purgatory; and deliverance from political, material, or spiritual calamities. Here the faithful implore our Lord to pour forth His abundant graces for themselves, and for their neighbors. For their own personal needs, and for those of the world.

More Selected Lenten Reflections

March 5, 2024 Tuesday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: 24 Hours for the Lord

Pope Francis will open the 11th edition of the "24 Hours For The Lord" Lenten initiative this Friday, March 8, at the Roman parish of San Pio V.

March 4, 2024 Monday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: Eucharistic Miracle

Eucharistic Miracle findings presented March 4 1971: Dr. Linoli concluded the "miraculous flesh and blood," were of human origin. He presented his findings on March 4, 1971 and published in "Quaderni Sclavo di Diagnostica Clinica e di Laboratori" the same year.

March 4, 2024 Monday of Third week of Lent - Selected Reflections: See a need, fill a need, Myrtilla Miner

"If God allows me to live, I will devote my entire life to teaching slaves" - Myrtilla Miner

March 2, 2024, Third Saturday of Lent - Selected Reflections: The Power of Prayer, Padre Pio

February 29, 2024, Thursday, the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections: Leap for Joy!

The only Leap Year Pope is Pope Paul III, born on Italy on February 29, 1468

February 28, 2024, Wednesday the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections: Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican


When my neighbor fails to kill my family, then calls me to visit him in prison. What do I do?


February 26, 2024, Monday of the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections

"The only time our Lord asked the apostles for anything was the night He went into agony. Not for activity did he plead but for an hour of companionship." - Venerable Fulton J. Sheen


February 23 2024 Friday, First Week of Lent, Selected Lenten Reflections: Servant of God Julia Greely


February 22 2024 Thursday, First Week of Lent, Selected Lenten Reflections: Blessed Carlo Acutis Highway to Heaven
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March 6, 2024 Wednesday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: Saint Casimir, Parents and Teachers Matter.

Casimir Jagiellon was a prince of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The second son of King Casimir IV Jagiellon.   As children born into royalty, Casimir and his siblings were well educated, heavily influenced by his family and his tutor.

Compare to what happened in the United States when the Warren Court found that teaching children about wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety,  fear of the Lord., charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control and  chastity was too radical, all hell broke lose. The Warren Court is often considered the most liberal court in U.S. history. The Warren Court expanded civil rights, civil liberties, judicial power, and the federal power in Orwellian form, led by the liberal bloc, createing a major "Constitutional Revolution" with massive unintended consequences.

Saint Matthew in Chapter 19 has a warning:  "23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24k Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Yet Saint Casimir became a king and a saint.

Saint Casimir is the patron saint of Poland and Lithuania. An image from the main cathedral of Lithuania depicts Casimir with two right hands as a sign of his great generosity to the poor. He holds a rosary, a sign of his life of prayer and devotion to Mary, and a lily, which signifies his purity and innocence.






Saint Casimir was born a prince. on October 3, 1458, the second son and third child in the Polish royal family. King Casimir IV’s father had converted to Catholicism from paganism and introduced Christianity to Lithuania. King Casimir IV was, therefore, raised in a good Catholic home which he also provided to his children. A faithful Catholic herself, Queen Elizabeth was the loving mother of her thirteen children.

Even as a young child, Casimir was known for his piety and devotion, which was encouraged and strengthened by a holy man who tutored him and other children of the court. Even though he lived in the royal household, Casimir refused to let luxuries obscure his loyalty to God. He dressed very plainly and slept on the bare ground. He prayed often and used fasting to sharpen his will and faithfulness. He had a great devotion to Mary and gave away what he could to the poor.


Casimir had no desire for power, war, riches, or nobility, influenced by Father Długosz. Casimir had fallen in love with his God and the Blessed Virgin. He prayed frequently, often slept on the floor, engaged in other penitential practices, spent entire nights meditating on the Passion of our Lord, dressed simply, and desired to live a life of chastity. He was charitable to the poor, manifested the virtues, and edified all who encountered him. He especially had a deep devotion to our Blessed Mother and each day sang an ancient hymn called, “Daily, Daily Sing to Mary.”

From the age of nine until sixteen, Casimir and his older brother were tutored by a Polish priest named Father Jan Długosz. This priest taught the boys Latin, German, law, history, rhetoric, and classical literature.


Father Jan Długosz, known in Latin as Johannes Longinus was
a Polish chronicler and diplomat. Father Jan Długosz is best known for his Annals or Chronicles of the Famous Kingdom of Poland  in 12 volumes and originally written in Latin, covering events in southeastern Europe, but also in Western Europe, from 965 to 1480, the year he died

Długosz was a canon at Kraków, educated at the University of Krakow. He was sent by King Casimir IV Jagiellon of Poland on diplomatic missions to the Papal and Imperial courts, and was involved in the King's negotiations with the Teutonic Knights during the Thirteen Years' War (1454–66) and at the peace negotiations. In 1434, Długosz's uncle, the first pastor at Kłobuck, appointed him to take over his position as canon of St. Martin church there. Długosz stayed until 1452 and while there, founded the canonical monastery.

In 1461 a Polish delegation which included Długosz met with emissaries of George of Podebrady in Bytom, Silesia. After six days of talks, they concluded an alliance between the two factions. In 1466 Długosz was sent to the legate of Wrocław, in order to attempt to obtain assurance that the legate was not biased in favor of the Teutonic Knights. He was successful, and was in 1467 entrusted with tutoring the king's son




When King Casimir IV decided to name his son Casimir to the Hungarian throne by force, Casimir was sent to lead the Polish army in battle against the Hungarians and take the throne. Casimir agreed out of obedience to his father, but his heart was not in it. He opposed the war, and in time the effort failed and Casimir returned to Poland. His opposition grew even stronger when he heard that Pope Sixtus IV had asked his father not to go to war. Upon Casimir’s arrival home, his father was furious and imprisoned him in a tower for three months. Those three months, however, were just what Casimir longed for.


In the solitude of imprisonment, Casimir was able to return to his life of prayer and deepen his union with God. Afterward, he continued his studies and life of devotion, vowing to remain celibate for the Kingdom of God.


When Casimir was twenty, his father had to be absent from Poland tending to matters in Lithuania. During those years. St. Casimir briefly sat on the throne of Poland as vice-regent at the bidding of his father. which he did with thoughtfulness, justice, and charity. When Casimir was twenty-five, he became ill with a lung disease and on March 4, 1484, at the age of twenty-five, Casimir died. His remains were taken to the capital, Vilnius, and buried there.

After his death, devotion to Casimir grew. Many people prayed to him, and many attributed a number of miracles to his intercession: Blind people who venerated his body were restored to sight, and many sick people returned to good health.




One notable miracle took place in 1519 when the Lithuanian army was engaged in battle with the Russians. It is said that Saint Casimir appeared to the Lithuanian soldiers in a vision and directed them to a place where they could best defend their city, which they successfully did.

More Selected Lenten Reflections

March 5, 2024 Tuesday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: 24 Hours for the Lord

Pope Francis will open the 11th edition of the "24 Hours For The Lord" Lenten initiative this Friday, March 8, at the Roman parish of San Pio V.




March 4, 2024 Monday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: Eucharistic Miracle


Eucharistic Miracle findings presented March 4 1971: Dr. Linoli concluded the "miraculous flesh and blood," were of human origin. He presented his findings on March 4, 1971 and published in "Quaderni Sclavo di Diagnostica Clinica e di Laboratori" the same year.

March 4, 2024 Monday of Third week of Lent - Selected Reflections: See a need, fill a need, Myrtilla Miner

"If God allows me to live, I will devote my entire life to teaching slaves" - Myrtilla Miner

March 2, 2024, Third Saturday of Lent - Selected Reflections: The Power of Prayer, Padre Pio



February 29, 2024, Thursday, the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections: Leap for Joy!

The only Leap Year Pope is Pope Paul III, born on Italy on February 29, 1468

February 28, 2024, Wednesday the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections: Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican


When my neighbor fails to kill my family, then calls me to visit him in prison. What do I do?


February 26, 2024, Monday of the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections

"The only time our Lord asked the apostles for anything was the night He went into agony. Not for activity did he plead but for an hour of companionship." - Venerable Fulton J. Sheen


February 23 2024 Friday, First Week of Lent, Selected Lenten Reflections: Servant of God Julia Greely


February 22 2024 Thursday, First Week of Lent, Selected Lenten Reflections: Blessed Carlo Acutis Highway to Heaven
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March 5, 2024 Tuesday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: 24 Hours for the Lord

Pope Francis will open the 11th edition of the "24 Hours For The Lord" Lenten initiative this Friday, March 8, at the Roman parish of San Pio V.

St. ThéRèse of Lisieux said "For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy." Manuscrits autobiographiques






In paragraph (2559) the CatholicCatechism teaches "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God."2 But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart?3 He who humbles himself will be exalted;4 humility is the foundation of prayer, Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought,"5 are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God." -

Father Mike Schmitz in Day 245 of his CIY podcast covering Catechism paragraphs 2691-2699, says: "We know we can pray anywhere at any time, yet certain places are more favorable for prayer. There are also certain rhythms of prayer in the life of the Church that foster regular attention to the Lord. As Fr. Mike emphasizes with the Catechism, we can’t pray always “if we don’t pray at specific times.” Today Fr. Mike encourages us to find our place and time for prayer.

Observed annually in dioceses worldwide on the eve of the fourth Sunday of Lent, the "24 Hours For The Lord" Lenten initiative, dedicated to prayer and reconciliation, was inaugurated by Pope Francis at the start of his pontificate. Pope Francis has asked for every parish to open its doors for 24 hours so that the faithful might encounter Jesus Christ anew in the Sacrament of Penance and Eucharistic Adoration.

"Prayer is the best weapon we possess, the key that opens the heart of God" - St. Padre Pio. 

New York Times - Prayer is over-rated: Study

The theme for this year's event is "Walking in a New Life," taken from Romans chapter 6: "4 We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. 5 For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection."

More Selected Lenten Reflections

March 4, 2024 Monday of Third Week of Lent Selected Reflections: Eucharistic Miracle

Eucharistic Miracle findings presented March 4 1971: Dr. Linoli concluded the "miraculous flesh and blood," were of human origin. He presented his findings on March 4, 1971 and published in "Quaderni Sclavo di Diagnostica Clinica e di Laboratori" the same year.

March 4, 2024 Monday of Third week of Lent - Selected Reflections: See a need, fill a need, Myrtilla Miner

"If God allows me to live, I will devote my entire life to teaching slaves" - Myrtilla Miner

March 2, 2024, Third Saturday of Lent - Selected Reflections: The Power of Prayer, Padre Pio 

February 29, 2024, Thursday, the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections: Leap for Joy!

The only Leap Year Pope is Pope Paul III, born on Italy on February 29, 1468

February 28, 2024, Wednesday the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections: Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican


When my neighbor fails to kill my family, then calls me to visit him in prison. What do I do?


February 26, 2024, Monday of the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections

"The only time our Lord asked the apostles for anything was the night He went into agony. Not for activity did he plead but for an hour of companionship." - Venerable Fulton J. Sheen


February 23 2024 Friday, First Week of Lent, Selected Lenten Reflections: Servant of God Julia Greely


February 22 2024 Thursday, First Week of Lent, Selected Lenten Reflections: Blessed Carlo Acutis Highway to Heaven

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Eucharistic Miracles of the World by Servant of God Carlo Acuti

Eucharistic Miracle

Eucharistic Miracle findings presented March 4 1971: Dr. Linoli concluded the "miraculous flesh and blood," were of human origin. He presented his findings on March 4, 1971 and published in "Quaderni Sclavo di Diagnostica Clinica e di Laboratori" the same year.









The Catholic Catechism (1374 ) declares that "The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend." In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained." In Day 192 of Father Mike's CIY podcast, he expands on paragraphs 1396-1401. "The unity of the mystical body. The Eucharist makes the church. Those who receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it, Christ unites them to all the faithful in one body, the church. Communion, renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church already achieved by baptism

In the eighth century, a Basilian monk, who had doubts about the real presence of Christ in the sacred species, was offering Mass, in a church dedicated to St. Legontian in the town of Lanciano. When he pronounced the words of the consecration, the host was miraculously changed into physical flesh and the wine into physical blood. In Day 192 of Father Mike's CIY podcast, he expands on paragraphs 1396-1401. "The unity of the mystical body. The Eucharist makes the church. Those who receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it, Christ unites them to all the faithful in one body, the church. Communion, renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church already achieved by baptism
Later the blood coagulated and the flesh remained the same. These relics were kept in the cathedral.

Centuries later, at the initiative of Archbishop Pacifico Perantoni of Lanciano, and of the provincial minister of the Franciscan Conventuals of Abruzzo, and with authorization from Rome, in November 1970 the Franciscans of Lanciano decided to have the relics examined scientifically.

Edoardo Linoli, a professor of anatomy and pathological histology, and of chemistry and clinical microscopy, and former head of the Laboratory of Pathological Anatomy at the Hospital of Arezzo, was entrusted with the study.


Dr. Linoli concluded the "miraculous flesh and blood," were of human origin, the blood was type AB, the host was a piece of human heart and there were no traces of preservatives. He presented his findings on March 4, 1971 and published in "Quaderni Sclavo di Diagnostica Clinica e di Laboratori" the same year.



In an interview by ZENIT, a non-profit news agency that reports on the Catholic Church and matters important to it from the perspective of Catholic doctrine, Linoli explained that "as regards the flesh, I had in my hand the endocardium. Therefore, there is no doubt at all that it is cardiac tissue."

In regard to the blood, the scientist emphasized that "the blood group is the same as that of the man of the holy Shroud of Turin, and it is particular because it has the characteristics of a man who was born and lived in the Middle East regions."

"The AB blood group of the inhabitants of the area in fact has a percentage that extends from 0.5% to 1%, while in Palestine and the regions of the Middle East it is 14-15%," Linoli said.

In 1973, the Higher Council of the World Health Organization (WHO) appointed a scientific commission to verify the doctor Linoli's conclusions. The work was carried out over 15 months with a total of 500 examinations. The conclusions of all the researches confirmed his findings. The extract of the scientific research of WHO's medical commission was published in New York and Geneva in 1976.





More Selected Lenten Reflections



March 4, 2024 Monday of Third week of Lent - Selected Reflections: See a need, fill a need, Myrtilla Miner

"If God allows me to live, I will devote my entire life to teaching slaves" - Myrtilla Miner

March 2, 2024, Third Saturday of Lent - Selected Reflections: The Power of Prayer, Padre Pio



February 29, 2024, Thursday, the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections: Leap for Joy!

The only Leap Year Pope is Pope Paul III, born on Italy on February 29, 1468

February 28, 2024, Wednesday the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections: Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican


When my neighbor fails to kill my family, then calls me to visit him in prison. What do I do?


February 26, 2024, Monday of the Second Week in Lent - Selected Reflections

"The only time our Lord asked the apostles for anything was the night He went into agony. Not for activity did he plead but for an hour of companionship." - Venerable Fulton J. Sheen


February 23 2024 Friday, First Week of Lent, Selected Lenten Reflections: Servant of God Julia Greely


February 22 2024 Thursday, First Week of Lent, Selected Lenten Reflections: Blessed Carlo Acutis Highway to Heaven
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Eucharistic Miracles of the World by Servant of God Carlo Acuti

AI as the New Tower of Babel aka Gemini

Google’s Prichai supports Pope Francis’ argument as he writes: “That’s what excites me: the chance to make AI helpful for everyone, everywhere in the world.”


The biggest visionary the world has ever known, King Solomon said, there's nothing new under the sun

"All things are wearisome,

too wearisome for words.

The eye is not satisfied by seeing

nor has the ear enough of hearing.d

What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun!" - Ecclesiastes Chapter 1






At one time, the whole world had the same language and the same words.".... They said to one another, “Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire.” They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky,* and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth.” The LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built. Then the LORD said: If now, while they are one people and all have the same language, they have started to do this, nothing they presume to do will be out of their reach. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that no one will understand the speech of another.

So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world. From there the LORD scattered them over all the earth." Genesis Chapter 11

While Wikipedia describes the Tower of Babel as a myth, it describes the Babylonian exile as historically correct. The Babylonian captivity or Babylonian exile is the period in Jewish history during which a large number of Judeans from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon, the capital city of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, following their defeat in the Jewish–Babylonian War and the destruction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. The event is described in the Hebrew Bible, and its historicity is supported by archaeological and extra-biblical evidence.

According to Jeremiah chapter 29 "This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says about Ahab, son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah, son of Maaseiah, who prophesy lies to you in my name: I am handing them over to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who will kill them before your eyes.j

And because of them this curse will be used by all the exiles of Judah in Babylon: “May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in fire,”
because they have committed an outrage in Israel, committing adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and alleging in my name things I did not command. I know, I am witness—oracle of the LORD."

Contrary to what experts like Robin Hanson might say: "..
the most likely AI scenario looks like lawful capitalism, with mostly gradual (albeit rapid) change overall. Many organizations supply many AIs and they are pushed by law and competition to get their AIs to behave in civil, lawful ways that give customers more of what they want compared to alternatives. Yes, sometimes competition causes firms to cheat customers in ways they can’t see, or to hurt us all a little via things like pollution, but such cases are rare. The best AIs in each area have many similarly able competitors. Eventually, AIs will become very capable and valuable. (I won’t speculate here on when AIs might transition from powerful tools to conscious agents, as that won’t much affect my analysis." Artificial intelligence in the hands of Bill Gates, Google and other "superintelligent organizations" as Hanson might say, is a type of Tower of Babel - soon to be destroyed but not before it takes is toll in humanity, or self-implode like Google's Gemini.




Nate Silver at Silver Bulletin writes:
“It’s increasingly apparent that Gemini is among the more disastrous product rollouts in the history of Silicon Valley,. The AI’s results are “heavily inflected with politics” that render it “biased” and “inaccurate” — and Google’s explanations are “pretty close to gaslighting.” Indeed, the programming involved “deliberately altering the user’s language to produce outputs that are misaligned with the user’s original request — without informing users of this,” which “could reasonably be described as promoting disinformation.” Google should “pull the plug on Gemini” and “provide the public with a thorough accounting of how it went so wrong, and hire, terminate or reposition staff so that the same mistakes don’t happen again.”

But fixing Google’s Gemini is not a technical but a cultural issue. For decades, it has thrived on its progressive culture. For example, Google listed CA GOP Idiology as Nazism. After allegations of election interference in 2020, Google tried to shield Dominion Software. Google Censors Pro-Life, Pushes Abortion Agenda. Google is a participant in ventures it knows directly benefit Communist China. Google Supports China’s Communist Party More Than US Military. Google Continues Censorship of Criticism of CCP. Google employees demand the company does not work with US Immigration. Guess what an artificial intelligence tool will output when developed in an environment such as Google's? Garbage In, Garbage Out.Clearly Gemini does not deliver on Hanson's promise: "Many organizations supply many AIs and they are pushed by law and competition to get their AIs to behave in civil, lawful ways that give customers more of what they want compared to alternatives."

Pope Francis in Laudate Deum writes:
"The ethical decadence of real power is disguised thanks to marketing and false information, useful tools in the hands of those with greater resources to employ them to shape public opinion. 29
Innovations start with the notion of a human being with no limits, whose abilities and possibilities can be infinitely expanded thanks to technology. In this way, the technocratic paradigm monstrously feeds upon itself." Google's CEO Sandar Pichai makes Pope Francis sound prophetic; Introducing Gemini, he writes "Every technology shift is an opportunity to advance scientific discovery, accelerate human progress, and improve lives. I believe the transition we are seeing right now with AI will be the most profound in our lifetimes, far bigger than the shift to mobile or to the web before it. AI has the potential to create opportunities — from the everyday to the extraordinary — for people everywhere. It will bring new waves of innovation and economic progress and drive knowledge, learning, creativity and productivity on a scale we haven’t seen before."


Arguably, Pfizer is a "superintelligent organization" in the line of Robin Hanson. Pfizer's Dr Becci Corkill refers to the Knowledge Doubling Curve as an enabler of innovation and the reason why consumers should trust Pfizer's COVID Vaccine. Google's Gemini would argue that after 120 billion births, pregnancy is too dangerous because apparently
gynecologists have not learned much, therefore Infanticide aka abortion should be legal.


In Laudate Deum, Pope Francis issues another warning: "23. It is chilling to realize that the capacities expanded by technology “have given those with the knowledge and especially the economic resources to use them, an impressive dominance over the whole of humanity and the entire world. Never has humanity had such power over itself, yet nothing ensures that it will be used wisely, particularly when we consider how it is currently being used… In whose hands does all this power lie, or will it eventually end up? It is extremely risky for a small part of humanity to have it”


And in paragraph 24 continues "...Not every increase in power represents progress for humanity. We need only think of the “admirable” technologies that were employed to decimate populations, drop atomic bombs and annihilate ethnic groups. There were historical moments where our admiration at progress blinded us to the horror of its consequences."


In paragraph 25. Pope Francis argues for a paradigm shift: "Contrary to this technocratic paradigm, we say that the world that surrounds us is not an object of exploitation, unbridled use and unlimited ambition....." 29. "The ethical decadence of real power is disguised thanks to marketing and false information, useful tools in the hands of those with greater resources to employ them to shape public opinion."


While experts like Robin Hanson appear to have faith on a responsible development of artificial intelligence, and Pope Fracis lays out a road map to achieve it, I say to err is human, but oo really foul up requires Artificial intelligence tools like Google's Gemini.

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ChatGPT and Google Gemini Are Both Doomed

AI as the New Tower of Babel aka Gologle's Gemini


To Err Is Human, But To really foul up requires Artificial intelligence tools like Google's Gemini.

A design speaks volumes about the culture it was developed under.

Google's AntiChristian, AntiUSA
culture has been marinating for decades

Google abandoned "don't be evil" — and Gemini is the result


“It’s increasingly apparent that Gemini is among the more disastrous product rollouts in the history of Silicon Valley,” writes Nate Silver at Silver Bulletin. 

The AI’s results are “heavily inflected with politics” that render it “biased” and “inaccurate” — and Google’s explanations are “pretty close to gaslighting.” 

Google chief says the company got it wrong after Gemini's responses sparked a bitter backlash. Read the full memo.

There are growing calls for Google CEO Sundar Pichai to step down


Duh

A design speaks volumes about the culture it was developed under.

Google's AntiChristian, AntiUSA
culture has been in a downward spiral for decades.  To change the culture, heads need to roll

A First-of-Its-Kind Signal Was Detected in The Human Brain


Google's #Gemini was asked to decipher the message. The output?

‘To avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes and biases, about artificial stupidity,  Gemini is unable to decipher oeopke's messages which may reveal content of their character."

Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute has no future. How about humanity?

FHI centre for studying existential risk warned about AI abd gave rise to cultish ideas such as effective altruism