Catholic Missal of the day: Wednesday, April 10 2019
Wednesday of the Fifth week of Lent
Wednesday of the Fifth week of Lent
1. ReadingBook of Daniel
3,14-20.91-92.95.]King Nebuchadnezzar said: "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you will not serve my god, or worship the golden statue that I set up?
]Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made, whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments; otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace; and who is the God that can deliver you out of my hands?"
]Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
]If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us!
]But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue which you set up."
]Nebuchadnezzar's face became livid with utter rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual
]and had some of the strongest men in his army bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the white-hot furnace.
]King Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles, "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?" "Assuredly, O king," they answered.
]"But," he replied, "I see four men unfettered and unhurt, walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God."
]Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel to deliver the servants that trusted in him; they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Book of Daniel
3,52.53.54.55.56.]Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
and blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
]Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
]Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
]Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim;
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
]Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John
8,31-42.]Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
]and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
]They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, 'You will become free'?"
]Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
]A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains.
]So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free.
]I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you.
]I tell you what I have seen in the Father's presence; then do what you have heard from the Father."
]They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works of Abraham.
]But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this.
]You are doing the works of your father!" (So) they said to him, "We are not illegitimate. We have one Father, God."
]Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.
St. Magdalena of Canossa(Virgin and Foundress (1774-1835))
Saint Magdalena of Canossa Virgin, foundress of the Canossian Family of Daughters and Sons of Charity(1774-1835) Magdalena of Canossa served the less fortunate with a mother's heart and an Apostle's zeal. She was born in Verona on 1 March 1774, the third of six children in a noble and wealthy family. Events such as her father's death, her mother's second marriage, personal illness, and misunderstandings, helped her discover Christ and her deepest calling.A CALL Called by the love of God, she planned to consecrate her life at 17 years old. She tried a vocation at a Carmel twice, but the Holy Spirit urged her toward a new path: "Allow herself to be loved by Jesus Crucified, to belong to Him alone, in order to dedicate herself exclusively to those in greatest need." Shewitnessed the sad events and tragic political circumstances at the end of the 18th century. The turmoil may have led her to manage the family's estate from Canossa Palace.A GIFT Magdalena fulfilled her responsibilities, widened her circle of friends and remained open to the mysterious action of the Holy Spirit. The Paraclete led her to Jesus' passion, death and resurrection, and to Mary, the Sorrowful Virgin Mother. Moved by Jesus' love and with docility to the Holy Spirit, she provided education and sustenance to the poor. She ministered in the suburbs of Verona, where the echoes of the French Revolution, the occupation by various foreign powers and the Verona uprising left signs of devastation and human suffering.A PROJECT In 1808, Magdalene overcame her family's opposition and left Canossa Palace once and for all to begin in the poorest district of Verona. She knew the Will of God: to serve the neediest persons with the heart of Christ.A PROPHECY Charity led her to also serve the poor in other cities: Venice, Milan, Bergamo, Trent... In only a few decades, the number of her houses increased and her religious family grew. Magdalena's sisters witnessed the love of Christ in five specific areas:Charity schools for all-round formation; Catechesis for the most uninformed; Support for women patients in hospital; Seminars for teachers in rural areas; and valuable helpers for parish priests in their pastoral activities. They also offered Yearly Courses of Spiritual Exercises for Ladies of the nobility, with the aim of deepening their spiritual life and involving them in various charitable works.Later on, this last activity was offered to everyone. Magdalena's contemporaries in apostolic work included: Leopoldina Naudet, Antonio Rosmini, Antonio Provolo, Carlo Steeb, Gaspare Bertoni, Teodora Campostrini, T. Eustochio Verzeri, Elisabetta Renzi, Cavanis brothers and Pietro Leonardi - all of whom founded Religious Institutes. A FAMILY The Institute of the Daughters of Charity received ecclesiastical approval between 1819 and 1820. Pope Leo XII approved the Rule of the Institute with the papal brief "Si Nobis" on 23 December 1828. Magdalena established the Oratory of the Sons of Charity for the Christian formation of boys and men on 23 May 1831 in Venice. She entrusted it to the Venetian priest Don Francesco Luzzo and laypersons Giuseppe Carsana and Benedetto Belloni from Bergamo. Magdalene's active and fruitful life ended when she was sixty-one years of age. She passed away in Verona surrounded by her Daughters on 10 April 1835. It was the Friday of Passion Week. She was beatified by Pius XII on 7 December 1941 and canonized by John Paul II on 2 October 1988.A MISSION Above all make Jesus Christ known! This heartfelt concern of Magdalene's was the great inheritance that the Daughters and Sons of Charity are called to live, a life of complete availability to God and service towards others, willing to go to the most distant countries for the sake of this holy work. (MAGDALENE, Ep. II/I, p. 266). The Daughters of Charity traveled to the Far East in 1860. Today, there are about 4000 sisters throughout the world grouped into 24 provinces.The Sons of Charity number about 200. They work in various cities in Italy, Latin America and the Philippines. Canossian Religious, called to a missionary vocation, "ad gentes," make themselves receptive to those basic Christian values, "the seeds of the Word," present in every culture, while giving witness to and proclaiming they "have seen, heard, and contemplated...": the Love of the Father who, in Christ, reaches out to every person so that they may have life. Through this giving and receiving, the charism is enriched and bears fruit for God's Kingdom.A SONG OF THANKSGIVING The Church draws our attention, especially that of her Sons and Daughters, to Magdalene, a Witness of the constant and freely given love of God.We give thanks to Him for the gift of this Mother and Sister of ours. Through her intercession, we ask that we may love God, as she did, above all other things, and make Him known to our fellow men by living our specific vocation.
St. Fulbert()
Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2019 / Catholic Missal of april 2019
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:31Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:31Z