Saint Leo's Catholic Parish Ikeja

25/07/2026

Daily Meditation: Matthew 20:20-28
Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. (Matthew 20:27)

The Gospel writers never try to hide the foibles of Jesus’ first followers. Today’s reading is a prime example of rivalry and self-promotion. The mother of John and James approaches Jesus to request that her sons get the highest places of honor in his kingdom. That kind of maneuver was bad enough, but then the other apostles “became indignant” at the idea that these two men might be trying to get a leg up on them (Matthew 20:24).

But instead of becoming indignant himself, Jesus turns the mother’s request into a teaching opportunity. To be truly great in God’s kingdom, he says, they need to become like servants. Then he reminds them of his own example: he came not to be served, but “to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

St. James, whose feast we celebrate today, learned this lesson well. As one of the twelve apostles and a member of Jesus’ inner circle, he was a witness to all that the Lord said and did. Then, after Jesus’ resurrection, he served Christ and his people by preaching the good news and ultimately by giving up his life for the Lord (Acts 12:2).

The apostles’ misunderstandings show us that even those who traveled with Jesus day and night were sometimes clueless about the nature of God’s kingdom and all that it meant for their lives. But Jesus didn’t berate or reject them; he knew they would, in time, come to understand. And they did.

In the same way, Jesus is patient with us. We might struggle to see how our little acts of love and service are the path to greatness. We might wonder how they can make a difference. But we can also trust that, just as he did with St. James, Jesus can make us great by showing us each day how he wants us to love and serve his people.

So how is Jesus calling you to greatness today?

“Jesus, give me the grace to lay down my life for your people.”

2 Corinthians 4:7-15
Psalm 126:1-6

Courtesy: https://wau.org/meditations/

25/07/2026

FIRST READING
“We carry always in the body the death of Jesus.”
A reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 4:7-15)

Brethren: We have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we too believe, and so we speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 126: 1-2ab. 2cd-3. 4-5. 6 (R.5)
R/. Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

When the Lord brought back the exiles of Sion,
we thought we were dreaming.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter;
on our tongues, songs of joy. R/.

Then the nations themselves said,
“What great deeds the Lord worked for them!”
What great deeds the Lord worked for us!
Indeed, we were glad. R/.

R/. Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

Bring back our exiles,
O Lord, as streams in the south.
Those who are sowing in tears
will sing when they reap. R/.

They go out, they go out, full of tears,
bearing seed for the sowing;
they come back, they come back with a song,
bearing their sheaves. R/.

ALLELUIA John15:16
Alleluia. I chose you from the world that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, says the Lord. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“You will drink my chalice.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 20:20-28)

At that time: The mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to Jesus, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the chalice that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my chalice, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man Name not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

25/07/2026

Saint James’ Story
This James is the brother of John the Evangelist. The two were called by Jesus as they worked with their father in a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had already called another pair of brothers from a similar occupation: Peter and Andrew. “He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him” (Mark 1:19-20).

Saint James was one of the favored three who had the privilege of witnessing the Transfiguration, the raising to life of the daughter of Jairus, and the agony in Gethsemani.

Two incidents in the Gospels describe the temperament of this man and his brother. Saint Matthew tells that their mother came—Mark says it was the brothers themselves—to ask that they have the seats of honor in the kingdom. “Jesus said in reply, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They said to him, ‘We can’” (Matthew 20:22).

Jesus then told them they would indeed drink the cup and share his baptism of pain and death, but that sitting at his right hand or left was not his to give—it “is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father” (Matthew 20:23b). It remained to be seen how long it would take to realize the implications of their confident “We can!”

The other disciples became indignant at the ambition of James and John. Then Jesus taught them all the lesson of humble service: The purpose of authority is to serve. They are not to impose their will on others, or lord it over them. This is the position of Jesus himself. He was the servant of all; the service imposed on him was the supreme sacrifice of his own life.

On another occasion, James and John gave evidence that the nickname Jesus gave them—“sons of thunder”—was an apt one. The Samaritans would not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to hated Jerusalem. “When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?’ Jesus turned and rebuked them…” (Luke 9:54-55).

Saint James was apparently the first of the apostles to be martyred. “About that time King Herod laid hands upon some members of the church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword, and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he proceeded to arrest Peter also” (Acts 12:1-3a).

This Saint James, sometimes called James the Greater, is not to be confused with James the Lesser or with the author of the Letter of James and the leader of the Jerusalem community.

Reflection
The way the Gospels treat the apostles is a good reminder of what holiness is all about. There is very little about their virtues as static possessions, entitling them to heavenly reward. Rather, the great emphasis is on the Kingdom, on God’s giving them the power to proclaim the Good News. As far as their personal lives are concerned, there is much about Jesus’ purifying them of narrowness, pettiness, fickleness. From James there is much to learn still.

Saint James the Greater is the Patron Saint of:
Chile
Laborers
Nicaragua
Rheumatism sufferers
Spain

Courtesy:

Apostle Saint James the Greater, brother of Saint John and one of the three who spent time with the Lord on significant occasions, was a fisherman called by Jesus to follow him. Most likely, he was the first to be martyred, and witness to the faith with his blood. He and Saint John were nicknamed .....

24/07/2026

Daily Meditation: Matthew 13:18-23
Hear the parable of the sower. (Matthew 13:18)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus explains the parable of the sower to his confused disciples. It’s not surprising they are puzzled. After all, the sower seems to be having more failure than success! The seed he scatters is going everywhere. Most of it is getting choked, scorched, or carried away. What is this supposed to teach them about the kingdom of God?

Jesus tells his disciples that the seed is his word that he sows into the heart of each person. The different types of soil represent some typical responses that people can have to his word. So his parable can inspire us to examine how prepared we are to receive and understand what Jesus says to us, and to ask how we can improve the quality of our “soil.”

The story can also move us to look at the sower himself. He seems reckless. But as Jesus’ explanation today shows us, his actions can reveal the lavish love of God, who persists in reaching out to us and in constantly giving us opportunities to hear and respond to him.

Jesus knows our hearts can be like the trodden path; we might hear God’s word without understanding it. But he keeps sowing. He knows we can be like the rocky soil; we might joyfully receive his word, but it doesn’t sink deeply into our hearts and take root. But he keeps sowing. He knows that we can be preoccupied with this world’s anxieties and pressures so that our hearts are like the thorny soil, where the growth of the seed is choked off. But he keeps sowing.

Is the sower a failure? Of course not! He embodies the loving kindness of God, who continues to sow the seed of his word until it finds a heart that will hear and understand him and bear fruit for his kingdom. That’s not failure. It’s persistence!

Even when you feel like rocky soil, you can trust Jesus, the Sower who won’t stop sowing. Even when you worry about the loved ones you’re praying for, know that Jesus never gets tired of scattering seed. He will not give up—he will keep spreading the seed until it finds its proper soil.

“Thank you, Jesus, for your relentless love that never stops reaching out to me!”

Jeremiah 3:14-17
(Psalm) Jeremiah 31:10-13

24/07/2026

Friday July 24, 2026
ST CHARBEL MARKHLOUF, P. (Opt. Mem.)
Office: Psalter Week 4
Mass and Preface of the day or Memorial
Vestment: Green
Today’s Rosary: Sorrowful Mystery

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Ps 53: 6, 8
See, I have God for my help. The Lord sustains my soul. I will sacrifice to you with willing heart, and praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.

COLLECT
Show favour, O Lord, to your servants and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace, that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity, they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
FIRST READING
I will give you shepherds after my own heart; and all nations shall gather to Jerusalem.
A reading from the Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 3: 14-17)

“‘Return, O faithless children, says the Lord; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. And when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the Lord, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind, or be remembered, or missed; it shall not be made again. At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.”’

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM Jeremiah 31: 10.11-12ab.13 (R. 10d)
R/. The Lord will keep us, as a shepherd keeps his flock.

Hear the word of the LORD,
O nations, and declare it in
the islands afar off;
say, “He who scattered
Israel will gather him,
and will keep him as a
shepherd keeps his flock.” R/.

For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
and has redeemed him from hands
too strong for him.
They shall come and sing aloud
on the height of Zion,
and they shall be radiant
over the goodness of the Lord. R/.

R/. The Lord will keep us, as a shepherd keeps his flock.

Then shall the maidens
rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and
the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will comfort them, and give
them gladness for sorrow. R/.

ALLELUIA Luke 8: 15
Alleluia. Blessed are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
He who hears the word and understands it, bears fruit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 13: 18-23)

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “Hear then the parable of the sower. When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no foot in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
God invites the Israelites to return to him with a renewed and contrite heart. He promised to raise up shepherds after his heart who will care for and nurture them with true knowledge and wisdom from above. For their part, their strong faith in Yahweh should attract all the nations of the earth to Jerusalem to worship God and exalt his name. As Children’s, we too are called to become transformed and transforming agents of God’s grace and love to all. We shouldn’t become indifferent to God’s word like the seed that fell on the footpath; or become superficial in our faith like the seed that fell on rocky ground; or become too attached to the world of money, fame, power or riches like the seed that fell among thistles. But rather, we should always be strong in faith, focused, persevering and capable of bearing abundant fruits of truth, goodness and beauty befitting God’s kingdom.

PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL
🌸 5-DAY PRAYER FOR THE FRUIT OF THE WOMB (20TH – 24TH JULY, 2026)

Let us join to pray for the release of Children by God upon those barren in our midst. You can offer a fast for their intention if you’re disposed.

DAY 5 —Intention: THANKSGIVING AND SEALING THE TESTIMONY

1. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen

2. Say one Our Father, One Hail Mary and Glory be…

3. Scripture: “Do not be anxious… but with thanksgiving present your requests to God.” — Philippians 4:6

4. Reflection:
Thanksgiving is the seal of answered prayers. Today you thank God not for what you see, but for what He has already done.

5. Let us pray:
Father, I thank You because You have heard my cry. I thank You for my conception, for healthy pregnancy, and for safe delivery. I thank You for turning my mourning into dancing. My womb is fruitful, and my testimony is permanent. Amen.

6. Declaration:
“I am a joyful mother/father of children. It is done.”

-I receive with thanksgiving in my heart, supernatural opportunities, healings, restoration, and breakthroughs which my God gave to me during these days of fasting and prayers. Thank you Lord for answering my prayers, I believe and I trust in you for every provision in my life.

7. ❤️ Final Blessing
May the God who opened Hannah’s womb, who remembered Rachel, and who honored Elizabeth, remember you.

May your womb be blessed, your body be healed, and your home be filled with the sound of children. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Your testimony will not delay in Jesus’s name. Amen.

24/07/2026

Saint Sharbel Makhlouf’s Story
Although this saint never traveled far from the Lebanese village of Beka-Kafra where he was born, his influence has spread widely.

Joseph Zaroun Maklouf was raised by an uncle because his father, a mule driver, died when Joseph was only three. At the age of 23, Joseph joined the Monastery of St. Maron at Annaya, Lebanon, and took the name Sharbel Makhlouf in honor of a second-century martyr. He professed his final vows in 1853, and was ordained six years later.

Following the example of the fifth-century Saint Maron, Sharbel Makhlouf lived as a hermit from 1875, until his death. His reputation for holiness prompted people to seek him to receive a blessing and to be remembered in his prayers. He followed a strict fast and was very devoted to the Blessed Sacrament. When his superiors occasionally asked him to administer the sacraments to nearby villages, Sharbel did so gladly.

He died in the late afternoon on Christmas Eve. Christians and non-Christians soon made his tomb a place of pilgrimage and of cures. Pope Paul VI beatified Sharbel in 1965, and canonized him 12 years later.

Reflection
John Paul II often said that the Church has two lungs—East and West—and it must learn to breathe using both of them. Remembering saints like Sharbel Makhlouf helps the Church to appreciate both the diversity and unity present in the Catholic Church. Like all the saints, Sharbel points us to God and invites us to cooperate generously with God’s grace, no matter what our situation in life may be. As our prayer life becomes deeper and more honest, we become more ready to make that generous response.

Courtesy:

Saint Sharbel Makhlouf was a Lebanese Maronite Rite monk, one of the Eastern Catholic Churches who follow a slightly different liturgy and canon law. We in the Latin or Roman Rite often forget that we have sisters and brothers in the East. Saint Sharbel is a good reminder of the wider Church.

23/07/2026

Daily Meditation: Matthew 13:10-17
Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. (Matthew 13:16)

A high school teacher stands before her class. Some students are chatting with one another. Many are looking at their phones. A couple of drowsy souls are nodding off. Only a handful are attuned to what the teacher is saying. For them, there is a sense of openness and a hope that what they are hearing is important.

This scene plays out wherever humans gather—whether in conference rooms, in family visits, in churches, or even online. Staying focused can be a challenge; even Jesus knew that not everyone was listening carefully to his words. That’s why, in an echo of the Beatitudes, he calls “blessed” those who actively look and listen to him (Matthew 13:16).

But before he speaks this blessing, Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah to explain why some people “hear but [do] not understand” and why they “look but never see” (Matthew 13:14). He says that the issue is not with their ears or eyes. Instead, he says, “Gross is the heart of this people” (13:15). Because they have closed off their hearts, they have become incapable of seeing and hearing what is right in front of them.

We can read this passage only as a condemnation of those whose hearts have become “gross,” but that would be too limiting. There is also an invitation here. If we can learn to become active listeners and observers of the Lord, we’ll begin to receive “knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 13:11). We’ll receive insights into the mind of God. We’ll come to understand the ways sin has clouded our thinking or darkened our hearts. And most important, we’ll come to see how God’s love undergirds everything he has ever done.

So listen closely and look carefully when you are praying and reading Scripture. Welcome Jesus into your heart and ask him to let you sense his presence with you personally. Don’t let guilt or sin or boredom get in the way. Slow down and take your time; don’t rush through your prayer. Tell yourself that the words you are reading can speak to you and your situation. And trust that the God who loves you wants to speak to you!

“Lord, open my eyes and my ears to you!”

Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13
Psalm 36:6-11

Courtesy: https://wau.org/meditations/
Photo by Adeyemi Emmanuel Abebayo on Unsplash

23/07/2026

THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2026

ST BRIDGET OF SWEDEN, REL. (OPT. MEM.)

OFFICE: PSALTER WEEK 4

MASS AND PREFACE OF THE DAY OR MEMORIAL

VESTMENT: GREEN/WHITE

TODAY’S ROSARY: LUMINOUS MYSTERY

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
Ps 53: 6, 8

See, I have God for my help. The Lord sustains my soul. I will sacrifice to you with willing heart, and praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.

COLLECT

Show favour, O Lord, to your servants and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace, that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity, they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…

-FIRST READING-
A reading from the Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13)
“They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out broken cisterns for themselves.”

It happened that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord, I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holy to the LORD, the first fruits of his harvest. All who ate of it became guilty; evil came upon them, says the Lord. “And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who handle the law did not know me; the rulers transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after things that do not profit. “Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”

THE WORD OF THE LORD

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 36:6-7ab. 8-9. 10-11 (R. 10a)

R/. With you, O Lord, is the fountain of life.

Your mercy, Lord, reaches to heaven,

Your truth to the clouds.

Your justice is like God’s mountains;

Like the great deep, your judgements. R/.

How precious is your mercy, O God!

The children of men seek shelter

In the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the riches of your house;

You give them drink from the stream of your delight. R/.

R/. With you, O Lord, is the fountain of life.

For with you is the fountain of life,

And in your light we see light.

Maintain your mercy for those who know you,

Your saving justice to upright hearts. R/.

ALLELUIA
Matthew 1 1:25

Alleluia. Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom.
ALLELUIA.

-GOSPEL-
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 13: 10-17)
“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”

At that time: The disciples came and said to Jesus, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: ‘You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them. ’ “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD.

PRAYER
O Lord, let Your Will be done in our lives, we pray through the intercession of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Amen.
HAPPY THURSDAY.

TODAY’S REFLECTION

In the first reading, God laments the backsliding attitude of the Israelites who had gone cold in their relationship with him. Jesus reassures his disciples that they have been given the privilege of the knowledge of the kingdom of heaven that is hidden from other people. This however, places a heavy responsibility on them to justify this rare privilege by living up to the demands of the kingdom. By virtue of our baptism, we have been given the privilege of sharing the life of Christ as adopted sons and daughters of God and co heirs with Christ of God’s kingdom. How do we justify this kind gesture in our daily lives?

Today’s Saint and Quote: ST BRIDGET OF SWEDEN – July 23rd

St Bridget of Sweden was a wife and mother to eight children. Following the death of her husband, she founded the Bridgettine Nuns. This order spread throughout Europe, with monasteries from Scandinavia to Italy.

-There is no sinner in the world, however much at enmity with God, who cannot recover God’s grace by recourse to Mary, and by asking her assistance.

PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL

🌸 5-DAY PRAYER FOR THE FRUIT OF THE WOMB (20TH – 24TH JULY, 2026)

Let us join to pray for the release of Children by God upon those barren in our midst. You can offer a fast for their intention if you’re disposed.

DAY 4 — Intention: CALLING FORTH MY CHILDREN BY FAITH

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen
Say one Our Father, One Hail Mary and Glory be…
Scripture: “For the vision is yet for an appointed time… though it tarry, wait for it; it will surely come.” — Habakkuk 2:3
Reflection:
Faith speaks. Faith sees the children even before they arrive. Today, you call forth your sons and daughters.

Let us pray:
Lord, I call forth my children by faith. I speak life into my womb. I speak twins, sons, daughters—children filled with destiny and purpose. Let my appointed time come, and let my testimony be visible to all. Amen.

Declaration:
“My children are coming. My joy is near.”

-Gracious and holy Father, please give me: intellect to understand you, reason to discern you; diligence to seek you; wisdom to find you; a spirit to know you; a heart to meditate upon you; ears to hear you; eyes to see you; a tongue to proclaim you; a way of life pleasing to you; patience to wait for you; and perseverance to look for you in Jesus name Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen


PRAYER FOR NIGERIA IN DISTRESS

All powerful and merciful Father,
You are the God of justice, love and peace.
You rule over the nations of the earth.
Power and might are in your hands and no one can withstand you.
We present our country Nigeria before you.
We praise and thank you for you are the source of all we have and are.
We are sorry for all the sins we have committed
and for the good deeds we have failed to do.
In your loving forgiveness,
keep us safe from the punishment we deserve.
Lord, we are weighed down not only by uncertainties,
but also by moral, economic and political problems.
Listen to the cries of your people who confidently turn to you,
Our God of infinite goodness,
our strength in adversity,
our health in weakness,
our comfort in sorrow;
be merciful to us your people.
Spare this nation Nigeria from chaos, anarchy and doom.
Bless us with your kingdom of justice, love and peace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
AMEN.

23/07/2026

Saint Bridget of Sweden’s Story
From age 7 on, Bridget had visions of Christ crucified. Her visions formed the basis for her activity—always with the emphasis on charity rather than spiritual favors.

She lived her married life in the court of the Swedish king Magnus II. Mother of eight children—the second eldest was Saint Catherine of Sweden—Bridget lived the strict life of a penitent after her husband’s death.

Bridget of Sweden constantly strove to exert her good influence over Magnus; while never fully reforming, he did give her land and buildings to found a monastery for men and women. This group eventually expanded into an Order known as the Bridgetines. In 1350, a year of jubilee, Bridget braved a plague-stricken Europe to make a pilgrimage to Rome. Although she never returned to Sweden, her years in Rome were far from happy, being hounded by debts and by opposition to her work against Church abuses.

A final pilgrimage to the Holy Land, marred by shipwreck and the death of her son, Charles, eventually led to her death in 1373. In 1999, Bridget of Sweden, Saint Catherine of Siena, and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, were named co-patronesses of Europe.

Reflection
Bridget’s visions, rather than isolating her from the affairs of the world, involved her in many contemporary issues, whether they be royal policy or the years that the legitimate Bishop of Rome lived in Avignon, France. She saw no contradiction between mystical experience and secular activity, and her life is a testimony to the possibility of a holy life in the marketplace.

Saint Bridget of Sweden is a Patron Saint of:
Europe

Courtesy:

Saint Bridget of Sweden was married, a mother of eight, and the foundress of a monastery for men and women. She spent her final days in Rome seeking to correct Church abuses for which she received much opposition.