Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily gospels and the saint of the day.
Let’s get started! Today is Wednesday, June 4th, and the gospel reading is John 17, 11-19.
And the scripture to reflect on is John 17, 15.
I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one.
When we start our school day, we always start with prayer.
We pray for happy days and our brains to retain information and for us to get along.
When my dad would commute on the trains, we would always pray for protection for him to arrive safe.
We even gave him a St.
Christopher medal to have with him for travel protection.
When we take road trips on vacation, my dad always starts with prayer to protect our drive and to keep watch over our house.
I tell you all this because we like to pray against bad things, evil things that might come across, because we know God is bigger than those problems and he will always protect us and he loves us.
Today’s saint of the day is St.
Filippo Smoulden.
He was born July 27, 1848 and died June 4, 1923.
He’s the patron saint of death and mute people.
St.
Filippo was the oldest of seven children and was born in Annapolis, Italy.
St.
Filippo was studying for priesthood and often enjoyed ministering to people who were deaf and mute.
After he was ordained as a priest, he devoted himself completely to this type of ministry.
At one point he was ministering to sick people.
He caught their sickness, but he was miraculously cured through the intercession of Our Lady of Pompeii.
St.
Filippo would sometimes become discouraged because he felt his ministry was not successful, but his spiritual director helped him realize his ministry for the deaf and mute was very important.
His work was so important, his ministry is continued through the Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
Jesus prayed for the disciples in the upper room that they always be in communion with God and for their protection from the evil that surrounds them every day.
We can too find closeness with God and protection.
We can seek him and pray to him.
St.
Filippo loved to spend time in adoration of the Eucharist.
He loved to spend time with Jesus and found insight and strength to carry out his work for the deaf and mute.
I am glad he listened to Jesus instead of letting the evils ruin his heart to serve others.
Jesus can give us strength to do God’s will too.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, help us to remember to abide in you because without you we can do nothing.
And when we abide in you, we will keep from evil.
And help us to remember to spend time in prayer and to trust that you are the giver of all good gifts.
St.
Filippo, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!